Proposed new mountain bike and horse riding trails
Public feedback has been sought for a proposed new recreation area near Katikati dedicated to horse riding, mountain biking and walking. The Lund Road Reserve, which includes the Waitekohe Stream, is an 89-ha area with a mixture of native bush and pine forest located between Lund Road and Thompsons Track Road, Katikati. Similar to TECT Park, forestry will continue on the site, while offering recreational use of the land.
The draft concept plan for the area includes horse and mountain bike track/trails and proposes separate carparks for various users – equestrian, mountain bike, and events/overflow.
Council has worked with a local recreational group, the Katikati Recreational Park Development Group, to make the most of the existing forestry trails and provide for both mountain biking and horse riding, as well as adding some new proposed trails.
As part of the consultation, Council is also proposing to change the name from Lund Road Reserve to Waitekohekohe Reserve to better reflect its historic significance. Also the key access points are now on Thompsons Track Road, not Lund Road as originally intended.
Waitekohekohe is the name gifted by local hapū Ngāi Tamawhariua in reference to the ancestral name for the area and its relationship to spiritual waters, a sense of yearning and climbing trees and vines.
Council’s Policy and Planning Manager Emily Watton says the draft concept plan has taken into consideration the many views shared through Council’s online engagement earlier this year and through engagement with those people with particular interests in the use of the reserve.
Emily says some people had expressed concern at the decreasing number of safe horse riding areas within the District and that, while TECT Park in Upper Pyes Pā was a popular horse riding area, there was no equivalent area in the western end of the District.
“Council proposed this development in its Reserve Management Plan in 2018. Over the past two years,
Council has worked with a group of local enthusiasts to develop these concept plans, on which we have sought wider community feedback.
“We have amended our original plans to take into account safety concerns about the conflict of use and improved access from trails to the carpark. We are now proposing a separate carpark for mountain bike riders, a separate one for horse riders and an additional overflow/events carpark,” says Emily.
Council will address some other concerns through good signage and public awareness of Council’s bylaws and policies relating to removal of litter and waste, dog control requirements, fire safety and that no freedom camping will be allowed at the reserve.
Some aspects of the project are still in progress and will be implemented over time with support from locals and community groups – such as the installation of trail/track features and environmental enhancement and planting.