Cycle trails set sights on Kiwi market

New Zealand’s newest Great Walk will not be fully open again until October as slips and road closures continue to hamper its opening.

The 55-kilometre Paparoa Track, a two or three-day tramp or mountainbike ride on the West Coast, has been only partially open since its December 1 opening because of a slip caused by heavy rain. It was fully open for only three weeks before the country went into Covid-19 lockdown.

Research by Development West Coast found international visitors make up only 13.5 per cent of cycletrail users in New Zealand. The rest are domestic tourists who spend an average of $173 a day on their trips.

Department of Conservation Greymouth operations manager Shane Hall said the track could not reopen until October because another slip had been discovered and the access road was being upgraded.

The new slip was found when a helicopter pilot spotted it from the air, Hall said.

The slip crossed the old section of the Inland Pack Track on the Punakaiki side and stopped about 30 metres above the newly constructed track, which was the mountainbike-only section of the track.

‘‘The track is currently open to walkers from Punakaiki via the

Pororari River Track to the Pororari Hut, but ... mountainbikers cannot access the track at the moment.’’

Up to 10 trampers could stay at the Pororari Hut each night, then return the way they came to Punakaiki.

The track was closed between the Pororari Hut and Blackball because the Grey District Council was upgrading Croesus Rd, which runs from Blackball to the track car park.

Grey mayor Tania Gibson said the $3.5 million road upgrade, paid for from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, was delayed by bad weather and the lockdown.

Other tracks in the district, including the 135-kilometre West Coast Wilderness Trail from Greymouth to Ross, were open for business.

Development West Coast found most visitors to the trail were from New Zealand (88 per cent) and they spent an average of $208 in the region each day.

Associated businesses such as accommodation providers, Cycle Journeys and the Wilderness Trail Shuttle reopened under level 2.

Destination Westland chief executive Melanie Anderson said the Greymouth i-SITE had been fielding inquiries from people keen to experience the ride.

‘‘We’re also really excited about some packages that are being worked on at the moment to entice the rest of New Zealand to come and sample our backyard,’’ Anderson said.