Date:  10 July 2018

DOC is upgrading the tracks between July and December this year. The work includes installing new gravelled tracks, boardwalks, stairways, handrails and a viewing platform.

Tracks will be temporarily closed while they’re being upgraded to ensure the safety of the public and the contractors.

The upgrade of Kauri Bushman’s Track and Tokatoka Track began this month and will take approximately four weeks to complete. The contractor will complete the work on two tracks concurrently before moving on to the next two, minimising the impact of the temporary track closure on track users.

The track closure and opening dates, for each track, will be posted on the DOC website as each track is upgraded. For more information, please contact DOC at the Te Tai Kauri / Kauri Coast office.

DOC will be working with contractors on the following tracks:

• Kauri Bushman’s Track
• Tokatoka Track
• Pakotai Track
• Yakas Walk
• Hauturu Highpoint Track
• Waiotemarama Loop Track.

“The aim is to remove wet and muddy sections of the tracks, where the kauri dieback spores can thrive,” says DOC Kauri Coast Operations Manager Stephen Soole.

“The spores can live in wet soil, so if we take away their habitat, the chances of them being transferred to other areas are minimised.”

Background information: Kauri Dieback Recreation Project

In 2014, the Government provided DOC with funding to manage the human spread of kauri dieback on tracks on public conservation land. This resulted in the Kauri Dieback Recreation Project.

As there is currently no proven cure or treatment for kauri dieback, we can only save kauri by stopping the disease from spreading. To achieve this, the project has taken the following approach:

• upgrading tracks to protect kauri roots and eliminate wet and muddy sections
• developing and installing footwear cleaning stations
• introducing initiatives to change people’s behaviour, as the evidence shows that people are the main vector for the disease
• closing tracks.

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