Te Ara Tupua 4.5km path opens in Wellington

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said New Zealand’s Ngauranga-to-Petone section of Te Ara Tupua opened to the public on Saturday, adding a 4.5-kilometre walking and cycling path on Wellington Harbour’s western edge. The opening completes a long-planned off-road link between Wellington and Lower Hutt for people on foot, bikes and e-scooters, according to government and public broadcaster reports. The project also includes a new seawall and other coastal works intended to protect State Highway 2 and the Hutt Valley rail line from severe weather, Bishop said. The route had been in planning, design and consenting since 2013, with construction starting in 2022, he said. ### Where does the new route run? Ngauranga and Petone are the two ends of the newly opened section, which officials also identify by the Māori names Ngā Ūranga and Pito-One. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said the path is 5 metres wide and runs along the coast, creating a separated route where Bishop said there had previously been no safe walking and cycling connection between Wellington and Lower Hutt. Wellington.Scoop reported the path connects into the Petone foreshore route and links with the recently opened Tupua Horo Nuku shared path toward Eastbourne. (beehive.govt.nz) ### Why did officials spend so much on a path? The total cost of the Ngauranga-to-Petone section was NZ$348.7 million, according to the Beehive release. The funding split was NZ$80 million from the Crown, NZ$261.7 million from NZTA, NZ$5 million from Wellington City Council and NZ$2 million from Greater Wellington Regional Council, the release said. Bishop said the path sits on top of extensive resilience works, including 0.8 hectares of reclaimed land, 2.7 kilometres of sloping coastal defenses, more than 6,000 interlocking concrete blocks and six vertical seawalls. (beehive.govt.nz) ### What problem is the seawall meant to solve? The 2013 storm damage under the rail line is the event Bishop cited most often in explaining the project. He said severe weather that year washed out land beneath the tracks, causing millions of dollars in recovery work and days of disruption for commuters. The new works are intended to prevent a repeat and to give emergency services a lifeline route if the highway is blocked after an earthquake or heavy rain, he said. (beehive.govt.nz) Wellington.Scoop reported the path is wide enough for vehicles such as ambulances or fire trucks. ### Who built it and who was at the opening? NZTA said it delivered the project through an alliance with Downer, HEB Construction and Tonkin + Taylor, working in partnership with mana whenua. The agency’s project overview says sites along the route include places of significance to Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa, and the design and construction were shaped with mana whenua input. Wellington.Scoop reported Bishop opened the path with Wellington Mayor Andrew Little and Lower Hutt Mayor Fauono Ken Laban, alongside mana whenua, councillors and regional members of Parliament. (beehive.govt.nz) ### How much use do officials expect? By 2032, Bishop said officials expect more than 2,100 bike trips, 360 walking or running trips and about 290 e-scooter or similar trips on the path each weekday. That compares with an estimated 450 daily trips before the project got underway, according to the Beehive release and RNZ’s report. RNZ also quoted Bishop saying the project was “first and foremost a resilience project,” with the shared path added on top of the seawall works. (beehive.govt.nz) ### What happens next for the public? Saturday, May 16, was the first day the route opened to the public. NZTA said a free community event was scheduled from 9 a.m. at the Honiana Te Puni Reserve end in Petone, near the Wellington Rowing Association and Wellington Water Ski Club buildings, with project staff and local partners on site. The broader Te Ara Tupua program continues beyond this section: NZTA’s project overview says the Petone-to-Melling section was delivered separately, and the agency’s media page lists ongoing updates across the wider Wellington walking and cycling corridor. (beehive.govt.nz) (wellington.scoop.co.nz)