West Coast Wilderness Trail to be Officially Opened

The West Coast Wilderness Trail – the latest addition to Nga Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail – will be officially opened tomorrow.
 
A joint venture between the Government, the Green Party, Grey District Council and the Westland District Council, and developed with significant support from the Development West Coast, the Trail will be opened by the Minister for Local Government and Associate Minister for Tourism, Hon Chris Tremain, at a ceremony in Kumara.
 
Thousands of people are expected to congregate at an all day celebration to mark the opening of the $7.9 million Trail in Kumara.
 
“This is a hugely exciting initiative for both the West Coast and wider New Zealand,” said Hon Chris Tremain.
 
“I have no doubt that the benefits of cycle tourism for both citizens and business are only just starting to be tapped.
 
“Over the next decade New Zealand will become the must visit destination for those interested in the outdoors, particularly cycling,” he said.
 
The West Coast Wilderness Trail will be a boon for the West Coast’s tourist industry according to Green MP and NZ Cycle Trail representative, Kevin Hague.
 
“It will help establish the Coast as one of the best places in New Zealand to come and ride a bicycle,” he said.
 
The 136km West Coast Wilderness Trail cycling adventure will traverse dense rainforest, glacial rivers and lakes and wetlands as it travels from Greymouth in the north, through Kumara and Hokitika and then to Ross in the south.
“This is a very exciting addition to the tourist infrastructure of the West Coast,” said Mayor of Westland District Council, Mike Havill.
“Many people from a wide range of backgrounds have invested their time and resources to bring the dream of this Trail to a reality. The value of that dream to the economy of the communities of Westland and Grey District Council is only starting to be realised but this Trail will play a critical role attracting domestic and international visitors to the area for many years to come,” he said.
The West Coast Wilderness Trail offers one of the best cycle trail surfaces in the country and is graded easy. It can be ridden either in part as a day ride or in its entirety over four days.
“The West Coast Wilderness Trail is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the Westland District and Grey District Councils and many volunteers,” said Tony Kokshoorn, Mayor of Grey District Council.
 
“We expect cycling to be a big part of tourists’ itineraries coming to the West Coast and we intend to build on this and extend our cycle network,” he said.
 
Olympic cycling champion, Sarah Ulmer, will be joining the cyclists using the West Coast Wilderness Trail en route to Kumara for the official ceremony.
 
“I can't wait to ride part of the fabulous West Coast Wilderness Trail,” she said.
 
“The pictures look simply stunning and being able to ride through parts of the country that otherwise wouldn't be accessible is just awesome,” said Ulmer.
 
'Nga Haerenga - The New Zealand Cycle Trail' is a partnership project between the Government and the Green Party.  The Government invested $50 million into turning this idea into a reality – with a dedicated project team within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and partnership organisations from regions across New Zealand. 
 
In addition to the government's investment, the commitment of the local communities involved generated a further $30 million of co-funding towards the construction of the inaugural Great Rides. One of the ambitions for the New Zealand Cycle Trail is that it will generate economic, social and environmental benefits for communities around New Zealand.
The West Coast Wilderness Trail has been developed under the guidance of the Westland Wildlife Trust and overseen by the Grey District Council and Westland District Council. It has received significant funding support from Development West Coast.
 
The West Coast Wilderness Trail – one of the Great Rides – was selected to showcase the very best of New Zealand's landscape, environment, culture and heritage.
The first three days of the Trail will be officially opened at tomorrow’s ceremony. The final stage from Hokitika to Ross will be developed in early 2014 to complete the full four-day experience.
ENDS

© Scoop Media