Mayor Welcomes Picton to Kaikoura Trail Report

Marlborough Mayor John Leggett has welcomed the Coastal Pacific Trail Feasibility Assessment, released today.

Marlborough District Council commissioned the report from TRC Tourism Ltd, following a public awareness campaign led by the Coastal Pacific Trail Working Group.

“The report outlines the great potential for a cycle trail experience extending from Picton to Kaikoura,” says John Leggett.

“Overall the report is very positive. The trail could deliver a much-needed economic boost to the East Coast of Marlborough, bringing new visitors and job opportunities to our region. The trail could work alongside our existing tourism attractions - Marlborough’s wineries and our magnificent coastline down to Kaikoura – and provide new opportunities for visitors, such as new rural experiences and local accommodation along the way.”

“I’d like to thank Dr John Forrest and his colleagues on the working group for their passion in pushing this exciting project forward, and the many voluntary hours they have committed so far.”

“This trail could be the single biggest benefit to come out of the 14 November earthquake. From a difficult and traumatic event, it is fantastic to see a visionary idea come to fruition, with such wide support from the community.”

“There remain many challenges to address before the Trail is up and running, and we are looking at a multi-year programme of work. Funding will need to be found and many physical and infrastructure challenges will need to be overcome. However, these are not insurmountable.”

“It’s likely that parts of the Trail can open, piece by piece, before the whole thing is complete. It’s a bit of a jigsaw that will need a great deal of coordination between different parties to achieve its ultimate goal. I’m confident that the many agencies and individuals involved can work together to achieve it, and it will become a great addition to the Marlborough and Kaikoura tourism industries.”

Council will now consider the findings and recommendations in the report at its next Assets and Services meeting on 19 October.

In summary the report says:

• The Trail has potential as a great cycle trail experience that will appeal to the family and leisure riding markets.

• The Trail could create between 45 and 88 full time local jobs, the majority in accommodation, food and beverage, retail and recreation services.

• Measured benefits comprise an increase in regional income generated by trail users over 20 years: a low scenario of $67.726 million; a medium scenario of $93.734 million; and a high scenario of $131.690 million. The report assumes no user charges for the use of the trail.

• Recent Government funding announcements will underpin the development of the trail along the coast north of Kaikoura to Okiwi Bay as part of the State Highway 1 rebuild, the most costly section of the trail. The Marlborough sections offering the greatest potential in the medium term are Blenheim to Seddon and Seddon to Ward. The most difficult sections to achieve are Ward to Clarence and Picton to Blenheim, and are likely to be in the longer term.

• Two loops off the main spine have great potential and could offer strong opportunities to position the trail and create awareness in its early stages of development. These are the Yealands Estate White Road loop and the Saltworks loop.

• Much of the potential route could be easily delivered on small secondary roads that offer easy riding and a pleasant experience of rural scenery.

• The most achievable experiences could include Okiwi Bay to Mangamaunu ride (funded as part of SH1 redevelopment) and extending this section of infrastructure from Kaikoura to Clarence as a priority project; Clarence and Kekerengu accommodation options and additional river based experiences already exist; determine, negotiate and develop the final alignment for a Saltworks loop and the Yealands Estate loop; encourage the communities of Seddon, Ward and Kekerengu to offer accommodation and experiences to complement packaged riding products; and investigate the options for a winery loop out of Blenheim.

• There is an enormous amount of work to be done in determining the final route and alignment. There are serious challenges to overcome, including developing a memorandum of understanding or heads of agreement with Kiwirail. There are also substantial physical infrastructure challenges related to access to bridge crossings, crossing rivers via fords, railway crossing warning controls and long-term track maintenance costs. Much investigative work needs to be done on where the coastal section of the track will go between Ward and Clarence, an environmentally sensitive area.

• The overall capital cost to build the Trail is estimated at $8.95 million, with approximately $5.76m relating to Marlborough sections of the trail. Ongoing maintenance on the trail has been estimated at $150,000 per annum.

The report’s authors recommend the Trail assets are owned and maintained by Marlborough and Kaikoura district councils. A Trail trust or incorporated society would assist them to raise funds and market the trail network. The report also recommends that a Memorandum of Understanding is developed between the potential funding partners, which would include any trust or incorporated society formed, Marlborough District Council and Kaikoura District Council, outlining the responsibility for on-going maintenance, maintenance standards, asset inspections and asset renewal, depreciation and funding contributions.

Given the likely mix of private landowners, KiwiRail, councils, NZTA and other land tenures, an approach similar to the Queenstown Trails Trust is recommended. This will allow both district councils to be involved in the trail construction and maintenance, with the Trust undertaking marketing, development, packaging and a range of important activities to secure its use and growth.

To see the full report, go to https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/about-marlborough/infometrics-economic-and-community-data/coastal-pacific-bike-trail-proposal

ENDS

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