Mangapurua Track in Whanganui National Park reopens for summer season

The Mangapurua Track is the only cycling route to the Bridge to Nowhere.

A popular piece of the Mountains to Sea Trail has finally reopened for the summer season.

The 36-kilometre Mangapurua Track runs from the end of Ruatiti Road to the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River.

From there, it’s a 42km jet boat ride to Pipiriki.

Trail champion Lynley Twyman said it should have been opened at Labour Weekend last year, but “the world of geology and weather” got in the way.

“This is a really iconic piece of the trail, it’s where you really connect with the awa [river].

“It’s the only way to ride to the Bridge to Nowhere.”

Last summer, around 6,700 riders and walkers went through the track.

It was once a public road, used when people attempted to settle in the Managapurua Valley after World War I, Twyman said.

“There was a failed government scheme to settle returning soldiers. At some point, it all just got too hard.

“For a long time things just sat, quietly returning to nature. Years and years of debris built up on the track.”

Thirty farms were established in the Mangapurua Valley, with 16 in the Kaiwhakauka Valley.

However, the land needed to be cleared of bush first, and living conditions proved tough.

Construction of the Bridge to Nowhere was completed in 1936, but by then many settlers had left.

Government support for the settlement ended in 1942.

The track is shut in winter, but the rest of the Mountains to Sea Trail remains open all year round.

“We usually close it somewhere between Queen’s Birthday Weekend and Easter, depending on the weather,” Twyman said.

“It can be a little bit temperamental to maintain.

“If you think about the Paraparas, you’re dealing with the same thing. It takes a huge amount of work to keep things open, and Mangapurua is the same geological basis.”

Work on the track has included re-benching Cody’s Bluff, installing a replacement bridge on Battleship Bluff, clearing of multiple slips, repairing of fences and the shaping of a number of bunds along the track.

The track is now rideable “with care” along its entire length.

Riders and walkers can report hazards, including the nearest kilometre marker, via the Mountains to Sea website.

Twyman said she was amazed by the number of Whanganui and Ruapehu locals who hadn’t been to the Bridge to Nowhere and through the Mangapurua Valley.

“It has such a rich, interesting history and an interesting ecology as well. It’s just amazing.

“Lots and lots of overseas visitors come and explore our backyard, and one thing we really want to encourage is for people to explore their own backyard.

“For a long time it was a narrow, tricky, single track, but now it’s a Grade 3 trail. It requires a little bit of respect, but it’s a beautiful ride.”

There were two jet boat companies that offered cyclist pick-ups, and riders needed to pre-book before setting out, Twyman said.

“All roads eventually lead to Pipiriki, then you jump on the Whanganui River Road and go and explore that section.”