The summery day brought around 500 cyclists
and walkers of all ages to try the three-kilometre
section of the ride, which links the Horotiu Bridge
with the start of the Hamilton section. The Waikato
River Authority was a major funder of this section
of the project.
Te Awa River Ride project director Jennifer Palmer
said it was an amazing day, and in the five minutes
after the gates opened a dozen people had headed
down the track.
And feedback was positive.
“I think people were really surprised at some of the
things they saw. There’s a really cool boardwalk,
Horotiu section of
Te Awa River Ride opens
HUNDREDS OF
WAIKATO RESIDENTS
WERE ABLE TO SATISFY
THEIR CURIOSITY
ABOUT THE HOROTIU
SECTION OF THE
TE AWA RIVER RIDE
WHEN IT OFFICIALLY
OPENED JUST PRIOR TO
CHRISTMAS.
The Te Awa cycle path section south of the Horotiu Bridge. The recently
completed section includes river side picnic areas.
there’s a beach, so there’s just lots of really unique
things,” she said.
“I think people are just really excited about
cycleways in general, but this is a pretty
spectacular section.”
The Horotiu section had a budget of about $1.5m
and takes riders behind Fonterra’s Te Rapa factory.
It also opens up access to the Mangaharakeke Pa
site, which is one of the largest in the Waikato.
And there were a few famous faces around for its
opening - Olympians Sarah Ulmer and Rob Waddell
each presented a young spot prize winner with a
bike.
NIWA SCIENTISTS HAVE SECURED
FUNDING FROM THE WAIKATO
RIVER AUTHORITY FOR A PROJECT
THEY HOPE WILL TAKE THEM A
STEP CLOSER TO DISCOVERING
WHY THE NUMBER OF FRESHWATER
CRAYFISH, OR KOURA, IN THE
UPPER WAIKATO RIVER HAS
DRAMATICALLY DECLINED.
Koura are a taonga species and an important traditional
food source for Maori, as well as being an integral part of
freshwater ecosystems.
NIWA ecotoxicologist Sue Clearwater says a preliminary
survey of koura in Lakes Atiamuri and Ohakuri last year
was halted when scientists and interns from Te Arawa
River Iwi Trust were unable to find any koura in the
mainstem of the river, despite their earlier proliferation.
“This preliminary survey suggested the population
decline in the river was much worse than we had
originally thought.”
Dr Clearwater says scientists do not yet know what has
caused the population decline in the Waikato River but
Tracking down the koura
“people are
just really
excited about
cycleways.”
