$5,000 grant to build signs on Manawa Karioi tracks

Island Bay’s Manawa Karioi ecological restoration project has won a $5000 grant to erect signs and put in track markers that will help people walk local bush trails.

The money comes from the Walking Access Commission’s Enhanced Access Fund, which supports local groups to build and preserve outdoor access - especially tracks and trails.

There are more than eight Manawa Karioi tracks covering 13 hectares of land in the bush and hills behind Tapu Te Ranga Marae.

A spokesperson for the Manawa Karioi Society, Chris Livesey, says that currently the tracks, none of which are marked, can be a confusing web for people who have not used them before. New map panels at the entrances to Manawa Karioi and colour-coded track markers will help more people to enjoy them.

"The tracks are well used by people who know about them. "These tracks link up with the City to Sea Walkway, Tawatawa Reserve and hopefully in the future, the Paekawakawa Reserve. They link Owhiro Bay and Happy Valley to Island Bay. We know, with good maps and track markers, many more local people can enjoy them too."

The Society, on behalf of the Tapu Te Ranga Trust and with the support of the city council, has done an amazing job over the last three decades restoring native plants and birds to Island Bay. It helps local people, especially children, learn about the land.

Chris Livesey says one of the Society’s next goals is to have more people using the tracks.

The Tapu Te Ranga Trust which owns the land is keen to share this network of tracks that allow local people to walk among our native birds and plants.

ENDS

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