Cyclists asked to ‘ride trail with a roll’

Cyclists embarking on a 197-kilometre journey through the eastern Waikato are being asked to ‘ride the trail with a roll’ after a set of toilet blocks were vandalised.

Since mid-December, the Manawaru Rd and Stanley Landing toilets on the Te Aroha to Matamata section of the Hauraki Rail Trail have been targeted in a series of vandal attacks.

Thieves have made off with toilet paper, hand sanitiser dispensers, shrubbery surrounding the toilets, and in one case an attempted to remove a toilet.

The first alert came on December 18 when cleaners advised the Matamata-Piako District Council that the Stanley Landing toilet had been vandalised.

It was locked while repairs were carried out and reopened a week later on December 23.

But by mid-January, it was hit again. Sanitiser was stolen as was the toilet paper dispenser. It has been locked until further notice.

Within a few days, the council discovered a similar theme at the Manawaru Rd toilet, but this time the person also attempted to unscrew the toilet.

Replacements have been installed with extra measures taken to secure them to the wall. The council is unsure at this stage whether they are still in place.

Council’s group manager business support, Manaia Te Wiata, told without closing the facilities completely, this was a short term answer.

‘‘It’s incredibly disappointing that something as basic as toilet paper can’t be provided because someone is stealing it.

‘‘The trail is something we promote to our own people and to visitors as an attraction, and we want to present everything on the trail at a level that celebrates and enhances our district.’’

The Te Aroha-Matamata section, at 37km long, opened in early November and is a popular trail that spans the Hauraki, Thames-Coromandel and Matamata-Piako Districts from Kaiaua to Matamata.

In December 2019, the Hauraki Rail Trail had welcomed more than 142,000 cyclists and in 2017 research had shown the trail had bought an estimated $39m return to the region.

The council will decide to either replace the essentials, or continue to ask cyclists to assist.