First stage of Kaihu Valley Trail opens

The first stage of a new cycling and walking trail in the Kaipara district has been officially opened, a 30-kilometre route between Dargaville and Kaihu comprising two off-road trail sections currently linked by low-volume roads.

Once complete, the Kaihu Valley Trail will allow cyclists and walkers to wend their way through forest and farmland and along the Kaihu River, from Dargaville to Donnelly’s Crossing, a distance of some 45km. It will largely follow the historic rail line built in 1896 to service the kauri industry.

“This is an investment in the region,” said Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, who joined Kaipara District Council deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen in cutting the ribbon at a June 10 ceremony hosted by Ahikiwi Marae in Kaihu.

we been doing nothing more than reactive monitoring?”

Tyler responded that if councillors’ risk tolerance had changed, there were serious implications.

“You need to understand the implications of that and the implications whether that’s on our people of Auckland, but also on this organisation – if you want to do that, that’s great, but we can’t resource the monitoring of that,” she said.

The investigative report is expected to come to the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee on June 29.