Rebecca Mead has a challenging summer ahead. Photo / Bevan Conley
Rebecca Mead has a challenging summer ahead. Photo / Bevan Conley
The closure of a section of the Mountains to Sea Cycleway has stripped business from the Raetihi Holiday Park - in what was already a slow start to summer.
Last summer 50 to 100 mountain bikers stayed at the holiday park each week and were shuttled to the start ofthe trail, owner Rebecca Mead said.
The full length of the track has not been available this summer, and she has hosted "zero" mountain bikers.
The section from the Mangapurua Trig to the Bridge to Nowhere, one of the highlights, has been closed while essential maintenance and safety work is undertaken.
"We share the community's frustration with the closure and the delays which have been out of our control," Department of Conservation Whanganui operations manager, Tahinganui Hina said.
"We are aiming to have this track open when we have completed the critical safety work that aligns with the technical advice to open the track, which includes the review and ongoing monitoring of the track to ensure it is fit for purpose."
The Department undertook an investigation following the tragic death of Margaret Lilley in March.
"It is still possible that information from the investigation could become evidence in a Coronial enquiry, therefore it is not appropriate to discuss this further at this time," Hina said.
Raetihi Holiday Park has been upgraded to host many mountain bikers. Photo / Bevan Conley
The death is subject to three investigations.
DoC has had geotech experts looking at the track, and DoC staff have been "in there working really, really hard trying to get it open", Mead said.
Cycleway standards are changing, she believes. When the trails first opened, it was mainly mountain bikers who used them.
"Now just everybody comes to them. They're putting a lot of effort into make sure no one is going to be out of their depth."
Some of Mead's cycling visitors are from the South Island and Australia, and book a year ahead.
"It isn't something that they can just come back and do," she said.
Cyclists are still doing parts of the trail, using jetboats to get about on the river. They can ride from Mt Ruapehu to Whakahoro, get a jetboat to the Mangapurua Landing and walk or cycle to the Bridge to Nowhere - or they can get a shuttle to the end of the Ruatiti Rd and take a day ride to the Mangapurua Trig.
Adding to Mead's woes, this summer's weather has been "terrible" and the Parapara stretch of State Highway 4 to Whanganui was closed from early October until December 20.
