Whanganui group pressing on with shared pathway despite lack of council funding

Quentin Handley says cycling on Rapanui Rd is getting more and more dangerous. Photo / NZME

The group behind a proposed cycle trail linking State Highway 3 to Kai Iwi Beach is still committed to the project despite the Whanganui District Council leaving it out of its long-term plan.

In the council’s draft long-term plan (LTP), funding of $2.4 million was included for the 8.3km trail along Rapanui Rd but that was cut to $500,000 in 2023 “to enable community stakeholders to commence fundraising”.

Kai Iwi Beach Community Group member Quentin Handley told the Whanganui Rural Community Board a trust had been set up and “professional fundraiser”, Funding HQ’s Jenni Giblin, had been employed to help, with her costs covered with funding from the Duncan Trust.

Handley said Downer had indicated it could do some free work to make a start on the trail.

“One of the things we are keen to get going is a trail from Westmere School to Westmere Lake so kids don’t have to get on a bus to go to their nature studies at the lake,” he said.

“Planning is under way there and design work has been done.

“We haven’t given up and we’re still full steam ahead.”

Speaking to the Chronicle in April, Westmere School principal Phil Walker said a bus had to be hired to travel less than 500 metres to the lake.

“I want these kids to be more actively involved in knowing the local environment and knowing our local stories,” he said.

“Being able to get there is pretty important.”

Handley said a shellrock path remained the cheapest and simplest option.

“People will ask if it’s a suitable trail but if you’ve been cycling around the country, you’ll find those sorts of compacted, fine trails are the majority in these sorts of circumstances.

“If it’s built correctly, has a reasonable amount of drainage and is maintained significantly, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

The council would be in charge of maintenance but he did not expect that to be expensive, especially in the first 10 to 15 years, Handley said.

The proposed trail would stretch 8.3km and link to Kai Iwi Beach. Photo / NZME

District councillor and rural board member Ross Fallen asked if it would need to be converted to a concrete path in the future.

Handley said that would be very expensive.

Soil in the area had good drainage and was not subject to erosion so leaving the trail as shellrock would not be a major issue, he said.

“You can do the Otago Rail Trail in the South Island, which is pretty rough gravel with some quite heavy stones in places.

“That seems to survive quite nicely.”

Transport Minister Simeon Brown sent a letter to local authorities last year saying he had instructed NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to halt work on cycling and walking initiatives and not to commit any further funding to local authorities - beyond existing contractual obligations - to develop them.

Previously, cycleways in Whanganui had been built with a 60% subsidy to the council from NZTA.

Board chairman David Wells said part of the problem in getting trails funded was “getting far too carried away as to how good they should be”.

Concrete or tarseal for rural bike trails was “complete overkill”, he said.

Handley said the trial would be designed for everyone, not just for cyclists, and a growing population in the area and at the beach meant the road was getting more and more dangerous.

The trail is proposed to be two metres wide, beginning at the intersection at State Highway 3, running past Westmere Lake and Bason Botanic Gardens and finishing at Kai Iwi Beach.

Deputy Mayor Helen Craig said the group should present to the council during its 2025/26 annual plan process to keep the project “front and centre”.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.