Local Focus: Epic local turnout for Papakai Park

The replanting of Taihape's Papakai Park is an undertaking of epic proportions.
Dozens of people turned out to plant hundreds of trees in a monumental community effort, the Ministry for Primary Industries funded the planting project through the One Billion Trees Fund.

The aim of the planting is to transform a neglected area just off State Highway 1, back into ngahere with multiple walkways for mountain bikers and walkers.

Joe Coogan is one of many people who have put in the time and effort to plant the area and says the tracks suit people of all ages and levels of fitness.

"Anyone can be on it and if you're sick of it you can drift back into town but the other people can carry on, or you can mix it up in so many loops," he said. "You can do it one way and cut into something else and do it another way."

The park is on the edge of Taihape and now boasts over 90 minutes of trails, a massive improvement in the area which locals say has been neglected for decades.

"The park was pretty rundown when we shifted up there, it was all overgrown and it was attracting a lot of rubbish and fly dumping," said Coogan. "It's been very cool actually, now you've got all parts of the community involved. The accountant finding the funding, you've got the retirees working and keeping everybody honest. The mayor is right behind it, the iwi is right behind it, they've been awesome."

Although the project is unfinished, visitors are already using the walking tracks. In the future, the area will be signposted with trail markings and maps will be available at the i-SITE.

Richard Steedman of Ngāti Tamakōpiri suspects there are a lot of locals that don't even know the park exists but is enthusiastic that the ngahere is being restored along the banks of the awa and so close to town.

"The community and even wider in the Rangitīkei area have got this place, they're going to discover it, there are lots of tracks put through so people can enjoy it," he said.

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson was particularly proud of his constituents turning out en masse to help.

"We have to respect how iwi have to come together," he said. "In our district, I have eight iwi and I have Rātana and they're going through some difficult processes with Treaty settlements and tribunal hearings and so on, that you would think would occupy all of their time. Here they all come together and say this is communal good, irrespective of whether they're technically within their own particular rohe."

Despite SH1 running right through the Rangitīkei, the vast district is often referred to as a 'hidden jewel' by locals, but that may be changing.

"More and more now we're seeing our district as a destination for people to come and enjoy our reserves, to play in our playgrounds, it's just neat," Watson said.

Taihape is already popular with travellers as a State Highway stop-off and now, thanks to a massive community effort, Taihape has another string to its bow.

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