Department wants track reopened but only if safe
Reinstating the track not ‘a safe or resilient option’
Within a few months we should have a clear picture of whether a track rerouting is feasible and safe . . .
DOC Hauraki-waikato-taranaki regional director Tinaka Mearns
The Department of Conservation has reaffirmed its goal to reopen the track to Cathedral Cove — one of the country’s most popular walking tracks — but only if a safe and resilient route can be built.
Doc’s Hauraki-waikato-taranaki regional director Tinaka Mearns announced that work to determine the long-term viability of visitor access to Coromandel’s Cathedral Cove walking tracks will commence.
The 3.8km track has been closed since storms washed away a small section in early 2023.
Mercury Bay Business Association spokesman Ray van Beynen told the Waikato Herald on Monday he believed DOC had no definite plans to repair the tracks “other than a broad statement that planning or work may begin by the end of 2024”.
In the announcement, Mearns shared further details on how DOC would approach the next phase of work for the visitor experience.
She acknowledged land stability was key in any decision and said DOC planned to commission more monitoring, based on advice from engineering firm Tonkin + Taylor.
The decision for further monitoring came after van Beynen questioned the rationale for DOC keeping the track closed based on information from a geotech report composed by the firm in July 2023.
Mearns countered by saying the track was a “dynamic geological site” and “simply reinstating the track was not considered a safe or resilient option”. Further initiatives include DOC staff working alongside local iwi Nga¯ti Hei to develop options and conceptual ideas, which would then be shared for wider public engagement — including an online survey.
Mearns said the options would then be set against land stability information, Doc’s legislative obligations, cost-benefit analysis and the results of community engagement. Those options would undergo an internal DOC review in the context of its visitor risk management framework. “Within a few months we should have a clear picture of whether a track rerouting is feasible and safe, or if we need to consider other alternatives,” Mearns said.
The Cathedral Cove work programme timeline and milestones could change depending on cohesion with Treaty settlement obligations, historic protection aspects guided by Heritage NZ, and the development of a business case.
If viable new options are presented, or only one option can be pursued, the work programme can also be altered.
Mearns said DOC planned to reopen the track, but not before a “robust, detailed and properly resourced plan for this site” is compiled.
“We’re very aware of the importance of the Cathedral Cove track to the local tourism economy, and also the wide range of views on what can or should be done there. Our goal is to reopen the track — but it must be done safely and in a durable and pragmatic way that lasts.”