8 | Ngā Ara Tūhono Charitable Trust: Te Ara Mangawhero and Te Hangruru Trails REGIONAL Ph: (06) 388 0126 | www.byfords.co.nz Contract Crushing • Aggregate Supplies • Civil Contracting Proudly Supporting Nga Ara Tuhono Charitable Trust engineers | surveyors | planners Your Trusted Local Partners 2XU 5XDSHKX RIÀFH SURYLGHV HQJLQHHULQJ VXUYH\LQJ DQG SODQQLQJ H[SHUWLVH WKURXJKRXW WKH 5XDSHKX :KDQJDQXL 7DLKDSH DQG .LQJ &RXQWU\ UHJLRQV Contact Dean _ GHDQV#FKHDO FR Q] *ROGÀQFK 6WUHHW 2KDNXQH Welcome to Matahiwi Coffee Shop & Roadside Cabins! Stop in for a good rest or grab a bite to eat from our cafe! (06) 342 8112 (Shop) 027 939 2168 matahiwigalleryenquiries@gmail.com matahiwicoffee.com 0800 289 787 btw.nz Creating a better future for our clients and communities SURVEYING ENGINEERING PLANNING ENVIRONMENT 0800 289 787 btw.nz Creating a better future for our clients and communities. INNOVATIVE + SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS SURVEYING ENGINEERING PLANNING ENVIRONMENT Trail developments bring multiple benefits The network encompasses more than 300kmof pathways across Ruapehu and Whanganui. T TVirginia Wright Mountains to Sea - Ngā Ara Tūhono is demonstrating how trail investment can support local enterprise, strengthen communities and build regional resilience. It began taking shape in 2010 with the opening of the Ohakune Old Coach Road. Since then, it has grown section by section into an established regional asset that connects communities, supports businesses, and gives visitors new reasons to stay and spend. Today, the network encompasses more than 300 kilometres of pathways across Ruapehu and Whanganui. With coordinated whole-of-network leadership, and the completion of its remaining connections, it will grow to more than 330 kilometres. Its diversity is a major strength, offering experiences that include accessible family rides and remote adventures to two national parks, rural communities and Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River). The journey stretches from Tongariro National Park, recognised for its dual UNESCO World Heritage values, to Whanganui, a UNESCO City of Design, and the Tasman Sea. ro and Te Hangāruru, supported by a $10.8 million government investment announced in late 2025. The first stage of Te Ara Mangawhero opened in November 2024 as a family-friendly Grade 2 forest loop above Ohakune. The next phase will extend it towards Tūroa, ultimately creating an approximately 21-kilometre connection between Ohakune and the mountain. Developed with Ngāti Rangi, it shares the landscape’s cultural and natural significance. North of Horopito, 9.1 kilometres of Te Hangāruru opened at Matariki in 2025. A further 1.1 kilometres to the historic Last Spike is under construction, including a 99-metre suspension bridge across the Manganui o te Ao River, with opening expected at Labour Weekend 2026. The Last Spike commemorates the railway’s joining of the north trunk and the south with a polished silver spike in 1908. That bit of history is just one of the ancestral, transport, forestry and market-gardening stories of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Waimarino. At the Whanganui end, the trust is working with Whanganui District Council to improve visitor facilities, including toilets along the Whanganui River Road, and complete further Grade 1 off-road sections, particularly the final journey to the North Mole. These improvements will make the network safer and more accessible for residents and visitors as use grows. The economic opportunity is already evident. The 2025 evaluation of New Zealand’s Great Rides estimated that, in the year ending June 2025, 44,777 visitors came to the region wholly or mainly because of Mountains to Sea. Together, they generated 138,618 visitor nights and approximately $34.3 million in visitor expenditure during the year. That spending supports accommodation, shuttle and bike-hire operators, guides, hospitality businesses and retailers. Construction and maintenance create further opportunities for regional contractors and suppliers, while 80% of surveyed stakeholders regarded the trail as a catalyst for community development. Established in 2025, the Ngā Ara Tūhono Charitable Trust provides whole-of-network leadership. “The trust gives us the structure to bring the network together and realise its full potential,” says Kaihautū Ara - general manager Lynley Twyman. “It is about completing missing sections, caring for the trail and sharing its benefits.” The trust brings together representatives of Ngāti Rangi, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tūpoho Trust, the Whanganui Māori Regional Tourism Organisation, Ruapehu District Council, Whanganui District Council and the wider trail community. It is chaired by Andrew Tripe. The Department of Conservation contributes alongside these partners, bringing conservation, land management and technical expertise to the wider kaupapa. Its charitable status allows the trust to receive donations, pursue philanthropic grants, develop sponsorships and form partnerships, giving businesses, funders and the wider community new ways to contribute. The trust’s current programme reflects the breadth of the network. In Ruapehu, major construction is focused on Te Ara Mangawhe-
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