The Thames-Coromandel District Council says construction on the Kopu to Kaiaua extension of the Hauraki Rail Trail could begin by February of next year.

Thames-Coromandel District is working with the Hauraki District Council, the lead partner on the rail trail project, to get the link towards Auckland up and running.

The route of the Kopu to Kaiaua extension of the Hauraki Rail Trail. Construction of the route could begin by February of next year. Image: TCDC

Both district councils have ring-fenced $1million each for the project, while the NZ Transport Agency has committed to funding a cycleway ‘clip-on' attachment to the Piako River Bridge at Pipiroa.

The TCDC says the route has now been finalised and resource consents have been granted, but additional funding is still required.

'It's possible, however, that construction work could be phased so the first sections could be built with existing funds.

'The route will take cyclists over the mighty Waihou River on the new Kopu Bridge before taking a sharp right along the riverbank heading to the Firth of Thames/ Tikapa Moana.”

The 47km route hugs the coast, dipping inland to cross the Piako and Waitakaruru rivers, while steering clear of the traffic on State Highway 25.

Kopu is the link to the existing Hauraki Rail Trail, which runs 54km along a decommissioned railway line between Thames, Paeroa and Te Aroha.

A 25km spur runs from Paeroa to Waihi through the beautiful Karangahake Gorge on another old railway line that takes in a 1km-long tunnel beneath the hills.

For more information, including Kopu to Kaiaua route highlights, visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council's Hauraki Rail Trail webpage at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/hrt

Watch New Zealand Tourism's Hauraki Rail Trail promotional video below: