Walkers on the Te Araroa Trail will have a safer journey in the Taumarunui area following changes to the route.
The 3000km trail, from Cape Reinga to Bluff, includes a revised 137km route that will now take in Pureora Forest's Timber Trail, King Country backroads and Taumarunui's main street, taking walkers off a section of State Highway 4 that was previously part of the trail.
"There was a time when we thought moving the trail off State Highway 4 would require us to bypass Taumarunui, which would have forced walkers to carry significantly more supplies with them between Te Kuiti and National Park Village," Te Araroa Trust chair David McGregor said.
He said the Trust had worked closely with the Department of Conservation, Ruapehu District Council and Ongarue landholder Cliff Tombleson to reach agreement on the new route.
"Mr Tombleson deserves particular recognition for his generosity in allowing a campsite to be established on his property at the southern end of the Timber Trail. Without the campsite the new route may not have proceeded."