A Coromandel track popular with visitors heading to the world-renowned Cathedral Cove could reopen before Christmas after years of closure, with a new route expected to cost a fraction of the original estimate.

The Hāhei Beach Short Walk was initially closed in 2023 following Cyclone Gabrielle, before another severe weather event in January 2026 destroyed a reroute planned by the Department of Conservation (DoC).

The setback prompted DoC to consider permanently closing the track, according to Hāhei Ratepayers and Residents Association (HRRA) chair John Jonassen, who met with the department in August to propose an alternative.

“We put a petition out and I made a call that we can say ‘you’re not doing that’ but I had to give them a way forward ... we looked at it and we said how to bypass the bottom big slip,” Jonassen said.

A new $121,000 proposal is now on the table to rebuild the reroute, significantly less than the $303,000 option estimated in 2024.

The Hāhei Beach Short Walk was initially closed in 2023 following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Mark Taylor, Waikato Times

DoC’s Coromandel operations manager Nick Kelly said the earlier estimate included stabilising land around two bridges on the upper section of the track.

Under the new arrangement, the HRRA will take on a greater role in maintaining the track, including routine upkeep and setting and clearing traps.

Jonassen said the group already had experience working alongside DoC.

“As a community we’re happy to do stuff like that on the whole Cathedral Cove track. We did do a lot of work there with DoC over the years and they provide a little bit of equipment but it saves them the labour ... that’s money they don’t have.”

Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka. Photo / Kelly Hodel, Waikato Times

A new $121,000 proposal is now on the table to rebuild the reroute, significantly less than the $303,000 option estimated in 2024.

DoC’s Coromandel operations manager Nick Kelly said the earlier estimate included stabilising land around two bridges on the upper section of the track.

Under the new arrangement, the HRRA will take on a greater role in maintaining the track, including routine upkeep and setting and clearing traps.

Jonassen said the group already had experience working alongside DoC.

“As a community we’re happy to do stuff like that on the whole Cathedral Cove track. We did do a lot of work there with DOC over the years and they provide a little bit of equipment but it saves them the labour... that’s money they don’t have,” he said.

The Hāhei Beach Short Walk is a popular route for domestic and international tourists visiting Cathedral Cove, which has also been the subject of a proposed international visitor entry fee.

District councillors have welcomed the user-pays model for the tourist hotspot.

Construction on the Hāhei Beach Short Walk and Gemstone Bay Walk is scheduled to begin on November 14. Photo / Department of Conservation

Jonassen said visitors continued to use the short walk despite its closure.

“Tourists use [the short walk] all the time. I mean you still see them going down here and it’s got a closed sign,” Jonassen said.

“It’s a brilliant way to walk rather than up a bloody road. You don’t want to walk up a road.”

Construction on the Hāhei Beach Short Walk and Gemstone Bay Walk is scheduled to begin on November 14.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.