The old State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge is closed to traffic for good, but it may be given a new life for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
The road has been closed to vehicles and foot access in April 2017, when slips fell. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
Such a move would prove popular among people who use the other tracks in the area.
And already there is a well-worn trail over the slips that sit across the old road's tarmac, and holes torn in the fences at each end, as people on foot, or on their bikes, use the route for recreation.
The Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said in May the road was unsafe for use, but if safety work were to happen it could reopen for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
Rockfalls have continued on the closed Manawatū Gorge road. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
Meanwhile, work on a new highway between Manawatū and Hawke's Bay was continuing. It is due to open in 2024, and until then, motorists must use the windy routes of the Saddle Road and Pahīatua Track.
Next to the worksite on the Ashhurst side is the busy entrance to the gorge walking track.
On Monday morning, Grahame Stillwell was preparing for his hilly walk and jog.
Grahame Stillwell would love to see the old road open for recreational use. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
He said he'd love to see the old road open for recreation.
"I think it could be made safe for road cyclists and mountain bikers to use as part of the loop which takes you through the gorge to Woodville and then back up over the Pahīatua Track or the new Saddle [Road]."
He said the old road had perfect views through the gorge and he missed riding it on his bike.
Successive large slips on the Manawatū Gorge road in 2017 created uncertainty over its future. Photo: NZTA
The road closed in April 2017, when slips came down. It had a history of closures due to rockfall and landslides, including in 2011-12 and 1995.
Taking a look inside the old road were Victoria University landscape architecture students Brad Jonasen and Lance Schaffer.
Jonasen is writing his masters thesis on restoring recreational access to the old road.
"We are looking to do some work here at the gorge, maybe turning it into a recreational track, a biking track if need be, looking to do something with the old road along the lines of infrastructural rehabilitation."
It was important to retain the character of the place and not whitewash it with new materials, he said.
"We're going to do some drawings and generate some ideas. If people like them they might be something that can happen in the future...
"There's quite a bit of evidence of people using it already, and I think that's really special.
"I'm not encouraging people to jump over fences, by any means, but if there's already an inclination from people to go and hang out in the space or use this space, I think it should be made available for everyone."
Lance Schaffer, left, and Brad Jonasen are looking at the old road's suitability for recreation. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
That sentiment was echoed among other people RNZ spoke to.
Julie Collins said it was shame to let the road go unused, while Colin, who did not give his last name, thought the view through the gorge was the best in New Zealand.
Wendy Auld and Eric Bodell check out the progress of the new road. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
Eric Bodell said he wanted to see the road reopened to tourist traffic.
That won't happen, after Waka Kotahi received a draft geotechnical report that found the risks to motorists were too great.
However, because people on foot, bikes or horses had more time to react to a slip, or avoid debris on the road, there was less risk to them, if the route was made safe again.
Waka Kotahi regional manager for system delivery Sarah Downs said the main area of concern for hillside instability was a 4km stretch in the middle of the route, of about 10km.
Waka Kotahi was starting the process of revoking the area as a state highway, meaning local councils or other parties could take over control.
But, if they did, work to reopen it for recreational users wouldn't come from the Waka Kotahi purse.
"What we've been doing is having some initial conversations with LINZ on a pathway to determine that road stopping," Downs said.
"We're certainly hoping to have a plan in place by the time the new road is open, so really we've got a timeframe for that by the end of 2024."
Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis said its small ratepayer base probably could not afford to fund such work and maintenance.
But she, like many residents of the area, would love to see the old road reopen for recreational use, and was hopeful interested parties could find a way to make that happen.
"I haven't been through it myself, but it's a very very special place. It's the only place where you can see both the mountains of the Tararua and the Ruahine ranges, and the river."
Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
