Whakatipu Active Travel Network

This route starts at McChesney Bridge and follows Gorge Road towards Queenstown.  The route travels through rural and urban areas. For this reason it will have a mix of surfaces to reflect the immediate environment (i.e. chipseal or compacted gravel in rural area, asphalt in urban area). 

What’s the latest?

Matakauri Wetlands Trail:

• Construction work will start in September and will be finished January 2024 (completely reopened for the Christmas holidays).

• Work hours will be Monday-Friday, 7.30am-6.00pm, with some work on Saturdays if required.

• During the work hours, signage and barriers will be installed at either end of the track works with stop/go operating for pedestrians/cyclists.

• Spotters onsite will then escort pedestrians/cyclists through the worksite during working hours.

• Stop/go will only apply to areas that are being worked on at the time.

• The Matakauri Wetlands Trail will fully re-open end of each working day, on Sundays, public holidays, and through Christmas and New Years.

Gorge Road Cycleway (McChesney Bridge to Matakauri Wetlands):

• Construction work will start in late September and will be finished March 2024 (reopened for the Christmas holidays).

• Work hours will be Monday-Friday 7.30am-6.00pm with some work on Saturdays if required.

• Cycleway construction works here will be split into five sections, each approximately 450m long and being worked on one section at a time.

• The work will start at McChesney Bridge and work towards Queenstown.

• During the work hours, signage and barriers will be installed at either end of the track works with stop/go operating for pedestrians/cyclists.

• Spotters onsite will escort the pedestrians/cyclists through the worksite during working hours.

• Stop/go will only apply to areas that are being worked on at the time.

• The track will fully re-open at the end of each working day, on Sundays, public holidays, Christmas and New Years.

• A three-to-five day single lane stop/go will be required on Gorge Road (in the area around the McChesney Bridge) late September/early October for some kerb/channel works.

Route C5: Arthurs Point to Queenstown improvements detailed design (PDF, 44,7MB)

This route will begin at the intersection of Fernhill and Watts Road. It follows Fernhill Road, onto Cameron Place then passes through wooded One Mile Creek reserve land to Thompson Street. The route then follows Thomson Street and Brunswick Street before ending at the intersection with Lake Esplanade. The improvements include widening the footpath along Fernhill Road, new signage, line markings and potential bollard lighting through the One Mile Creek portion of the trail. 

B2: Fernhill to Queenstown detailed design (PDF, 47.77MB)

What’s the latest?

Work to upgrade Thompson Street in Queenstown is now complete.

Improvements included footpath widening, crossing points, new signage and lighting to provide a genuine alternative to getting around by car between Queenstown and Fernhill.

Currently, there is currently no funding available to construct further improvements on Cameron Place in Fernhill and beyond. We'll share more information on this section of the B2 project when we have more details.

The route starts at the intersection of Jones Avenue and Howards Drive between Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country, following the existing trail along the power transmission corridor down to the lower terraces. It then follows the existing trail to Old School Road and ends at the Old Shotover Shotover River / Kimi kau Bridge.

What’s the latest?

Detailed design is complete. There is currently no funding available to construct the improvements. 

C7: Lake Hayes Estate to Shotover River/Kimiākau Bridge detailed design (PDF, 15.7MB)

This route starts at the Old Shotover River / Kimiākau Bridge, goes via Jim’s Way and a new pedestrian / cycling bridge over State Highway 6 and connects to Hardware Lane and on to Frankton. This new section will connect to an existing Active Travel route linking to Shotover Country and Lake Hayes Estate. 

What’s the latest?

A scope change to allow for the new bridge has been approved by Waka Kotahi and funding is in place for design through to construction.  Geotech, including boreholes to test foundation options for the bridge, will be undertaken in the first half of next year.  Design plans will also progress, and consenting applications will be prepared.  This will be followed by community and Mana Whenua engagement.

The route will start at Joe O’Connell Drive and provide a safe connection to the Frankton lakefront.

What’s the latest?

A temporary path has been installed between Joe O’Connell Drive and SH6 to provide a pedestrian and cycle connection alongside the state highway until the future SH6 / 6A intersection improvements are constructed. The pathway continues to the existing signalised crossing where it crosses to the Frankton bus hub.

A further path is planned via Stewart Street, connecting Frankton Village to Frankton Beach. 

What's the latest?

Progression of a detailed design for the path via Stewart Street has been deferred until we have greater certainty of affordability for critical aspects of the active travel programme.

This route is intended to be a shared path connecting Jacks Point to Frankton. The preferred routes now being considered are the Western route, running along the base of Peninsula Hill, and the Hillside route where the trail would run above the south side of SH6 as a separated path, connecting to the old Kawarau Falls Bridge. This route connects into the Lakeside Trail.

What’s the latest?

We've been working with landowners to plan and secure a safe and enjoyable route for the community to cycle and walk on, between Jack's Point and Frankton. We know locals are excited about this project and we're pleased to share that the Remarkables Station National Trust Ltd (Queen Elizabeth II National Trust) have agreed in principle to this route through their land. Investigations have been underway to review several route options for the Jack’s Point to Frankton Whakatipu Active Travel route.

Read more on the December 2023 update here: https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/89805/widgets/421558/documents/275530 

This scenic route is proposed to start on the true left bank of the Kawarau River near Widgeon Place, Lake Hayes Estate. A bridge crossing takes the trail to the true right bank, where it follows the river to Boyd Road, eventually connecting to the Jacks Point to Frankton Trail mentioned above. The surface is proposed to be compacted fine gravel and provide a connection for people commuting from Lake Hayes Estate into Frankton for work or school. 

What’s the latest?

Detailed design has been completed for the trail, excluding in the river crossing.  Further work is underway to determine whether the crossing will be exclusively used for walking and cycling, or alternatively designed to a standard to cater for services. This work is expected to be complete by March 2023.

We’re also working on new signage to make it easier for people find their way around the trail network. Some new signage has already been installed as part of the Queenstown Town Centre Street Upgrade programme and we’re in the process of finalising the designs and placements for the active travel network.