The new car park will be built on the right-hand side of Egmont Road, just before the park's gatehouse. Photo: Supplied / New Plymouth District Council
Construction of a new car park at the popular Egmont Road entrance to Te Papakura o Taranaki will begin next week.
In recent years, the existing car park at the visitor centre at the top of Egmont Road has overflowed causing bottlenecks and forcing the road to be periodically closed.
Project manager lead Gordon Davenport said the new 145-space car park was part of the New Plymouth District Council's investment in the tourism sector by providing the right infrastructure where it's needed.
"It's well-known that there's a parking crunch along Egmont Road up to the visitor centre during peak season - there just aren't enough parking spaces to meet the demand, but also no-one wants to eat into the park's natural environment by extending any of those existing parking areas."
Davenport said the Waiwhakaiho Track would open directly onto the new car park, and there would be the opportunity for private shuttle bus operators to run services between the car park and the visitor centre at the top of Egmont Road during busy periods of the year.
"Taranaki has a reputation for having great outdoor experiences and this car park will build on that by making it easier for people to enjoy our stunning maunga."
NPDC bought the block of farmland for the new car park in 2019.
Construction would begin on 10 November and the car park was scheduled to open for public use in April next year.
The car park would include toilets, a hand sanitising station and a shelter.
The Mangorei Road car park at the entrance to Te Papakura o Taranaki's Mangorei Track, which opened on Christmas Day 2018, had proved popular during peak periods with overflow parking sometimes required on an adjacent grassed areas.
Fast facts:
- Te Papakura o Taranaki is jointly managed by iwi and the Crown, with the Department of Conservation in charge of day-to-day operations.
- NPDC manages 1600ha of park and reserve land around the district.
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