Whanga Rd Resource Consent

[Jerry]

Just six kilometres of bush stands between Taranaki and the reopening of a centuries-old track running from Urenui to the Whanganui river.

The Whangamomona Road Action Group (WRAG) last week lodged a resource consent application to reopen about six kilometres of overgrown bush track from the end of Tahunaroa Rd to the Tangarakau River in East Taranaki.

The section of track, which runs from the end of Whangamomona Rd and the "bridge to somewhere", would end just a short distance from where the Tangarakau River meets the Whanganui River. It was used for centuries by Maori, and became known as the "cream track" after early settlers began taking it to get their cream to market in Whanganui.

Until 100 or so years ago, when the track fell out of use, it was also the end stretch of the Taumatamahoe track used by Maori and European settlers to travel between the North Taranaki coast and Whanganui.

This was the same track William Laing used in 1893 to travel from Tangarakau to Waitara to get medical help for critically ill surveyor Joshua Morgan.

WRAG member Noel Pickford said reopening the Tahunaroa Rd track would facilitate tourists' access to the Whanganui River.

"It is a legal road but a lot of it has fallen into disrepair. Once it is opened it will give all those tourists that use the Whanganui River an access into Taranaki that they haven't got. And there are thousands of people that use that river," Mr Pickford said.

The track would be wide enough to be used by cyclists and trampers.

Mr Pickford said that the cost was difficult to estimate, but $100,000 could potentially do it. Funding applications for this money had already been lodged and work would start in October, if the cash came through.

Mr Pickford is no stranger to opening East Taranaki up for use.

As a younger man and owner of the Okara Station east of Whangamomona, he opened much of the Okara Rd and, together with WRAG, was instrumental in keeping the Whangamomona Rd open when the Stratford District Council looked at closing it in 2001.

Volunteer power kept that paper road open, Mr Pickford said, and he believes the same will happen when it's time to build the final Tahunaroa Rd stretch in October. "Everyone will get behind us."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-n ... -to-reopen

[Pico42]

Why do they need resource consent to open the road?

[hipponotamus]