Cycle trails damaged by flooding and storms over the winter are to be repaired in time for summer thanks to $650,000 in government funding.
The money will be spent on cycle trails spread from Northland to Otago. (file pic) Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell
The money came from the $8 million New Zealand Cycle Trail Fund.
Most of the money will be spent on trails in Hauraki and Queenstown with smaller amounts going to those in Northland and Tasman.
Almost half will be spent on eight kilometres of the Hauraki Rail Trail between Waihi and Waikino that was damaged by flooding in June.
A kilometre's worth of the trail will be sealed so that it will be better able to withstand flooding in future.
Riders on the Hauraki Rail Trail. (file pic) Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
The next biggest winners are the Kelvin Peninsula and Twin River Trails in Queenstown where $200,000 will be spent on repairing storm damage from July.
This includes work on retaining walls.
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said cycle trails were valuable components of the country's tourism infrastructure.
"Cycle tourism plays a vital role to support local jobs and businesses, especially for destinations off the beaten track which experienced a visitor boom prior to the latest outbreak of the New South Wales Delta variant."