Manawatū Gorge walking track numbers decrease

Monday, 21 January 2019

Regular Manawatū Gorge walkers Trudy Mahoney, left, and Lisa Mohi say they have not noticed a drop in numbers walking the track.

The number of people using the Manawatū Gorge walking track near Ashhurst is dropping, however those using the track say it is as busy as ever.

State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge closed in April, 2017, due to significant rockfall.

Initially this did not stop people from heading into the track but latest data shows numbers have started dropping.

Figures from the Department of Conservation (DOC) show 17,400 people walked the Tawa loop track from May 2016 until April 2017, compared with 13,316 from May 2017 until April 2018.

* Alternative route to the Manawatū Gorge affects Massey University

* More slips come down in the Manawatū Gorge

* Eight months without the Manawatū Gorge**

The Tawa Loop Track is a 4.2-kilometre short walk.

About 6,289 people walked the full Manawatū Gorge Track from May 2017 until April 2018 – down about 1689 from the year prior.

The only figures to see an increase of walkers was people doing a short walk from Ashhurst end, meaning they walked less than half way from the Ashhurst entrance then returned the way they came.

This figure had increased by about 4,000, with 32,280 walking this in May 2017 until April 2018 compared with 36,236 the year after.

The other figure to increase by about a thousand was people doing the Upper Gorge Bridge track.

Overall, from May 2017 until April 2018, 69, 671 people used the Manawatū Gorge walking tracks, down about 3,249 from the previous year.

DOC said the figures were provided based on a track counter data and this was the most recent data they had.

These figures were an estimate based off that data.

'Visitor use in the Manawatū Gorge tracks is calculated using data obtained from weight-sensitive plates buried under the track at five locations.

'Each time a person walks over the plate, one 'count' is made.'

Due to the layout of the tracks and locations of the counters, rules and formulas must be applied to the raw track counter data to calculate approximate track use figures.

Vivian Watene said she was surprised by the figures as whenever she did the walk, which was a couple of times a month, it seemed to be roughly the same amount of people out doing it too.

'I don't [see a difference] for people walking.'

She did the loop track and said it was a really pleasant walk.

'I don't feel like the road closure does affect the loop, I never thought 'oh the roads closed, let's not go'.

'It's a lovely place.'

Walkers Lisa Mohi and Trudy Mahoney agreed and said they also did the loop track and didn't notice a difference in people either.

'We do it quite a bit, we try to do it weekly', Mohi said.

People used to park one car at the Ballance Bridge end of the Gorge and one at the Ashhurst end by driving through the Gorge.

Now, motorists must take the Saddle Rd or the Pahiatua Track, which are both windier and steeper than the Gorge road.