Hiker loses connection to nature through track upgrades

The head of an Auckland community newspaper says an important connection to nature is being lost through the creation of pavement-style walking tracks in remote areas. Rob Drent, who publishes the Devonport Flagstaff, has written an opinion piece in the latest New Zealand Wilderness magazine, questioning the Auckland council's decision to gravel an access path to a hill above Karekare Beach on the city's West Coast. He says it's part of a major upgrade of Comans Track - which has been re-opened after other tracks were closed throughout the Waitakeres, in the wake of the Kauri die-back threat. Our Nelson reporter Tracy Neal, who saw the article, spoke with Mr Drent about his concerns, and why this area - the location for the film The Piano - is special.