{"id":429228,"date":"2026-05-15T16:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/429228\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T16:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:45:13","slug":"tarawera-okataina-trail-network-gets-1m-boost-for-tracks-and-campgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/429228\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarawera-\u014ckataina trail network gets $1m boost for tracks and campgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The upgrades would include work on the Eastern \u014ckataina Walkway<\/a>, Northern Tarawera Track, and the Tarawera Falls Track.<\/p>\n

Campground upgrades would also be completed at Humphries Bay Campsite, Hot Water Beach Campground and Te Tapahoro Campground.<\/p>\n

Potaka said the announcement showed why the Government was reforming conservation legislation.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Government is putting up $1m to upgrade walkways and camping areas across the Tarawera-\u014ckataina trail network. Photo \/ DoC<\/p>\n

The project would also support wallaby control and wider biodiversity work across the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Conservation Amendment Bill currently before Parliament is about making it easier to deliver practical upgrades like this in the future,\u201d Potaka said.<\/p>\n

For \u201ctoo long\u201d, he said, outdated processes had slowed investment into tracks, huts, campgrounds, and visitor infrastructure on conservation land.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur reforms will help cut unnecessary delays while maintaining strong environmental protections and reinvesting back into conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of Conservation (DoC) eastern North Island regional planner, Kev Buttell, said the Eastern \u014ckataina Walkway had been closed since late January 2021 after a \u201cmajor rockfall event\u201d affected the track<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe anticipate the track will be open by the end of 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buttell said an additional slip occurred in 2023, about 2km from Te Koutu P\u0101.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Eastern \u014ckataina track has been swallowed in parts by lake levels. Photo \/ DoC<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from slips, high lake levels have also inundated several hundred metres of track toward the southern end of the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said those sections would be rebenched and the slip bypassed before the reopening of the track.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll also be clearing treefalls accumulated since the closure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buttell said that in addition to physical tracks, interpretation panels and hazard signage would be overhauled.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch of the work is focused on enhancing visitor safety and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The upgrades would include work on the Eastern \u014ckataina Walkway, Northern Tarawera Track, and the Tarawera Falls Track.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7495,95,11231,219918,2082,6276,3805,111,43,139,69,219917,9202,4129],"class_list":["post-429228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-1m","tag-and","tag-boost","tag-campgrounds","tag-for","tag-gets","tag-network","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tarawerakataina","tag-tracks","tag-trail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}