Photo: 123rf.com
The Waikaremoana Great Walk, on the East Coast, will reopen in the new year, after being severely damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle.
The wild weather washed out parts of the 46 kilometre track, flooded huts and dump stations, and wrecked the Waiopāoa cable bridge.
The damage was so bad the track could not even be inspected for a month.
Te Urewera Board spokesperson Kirsti Luke said East Coast communities had suffered a tough year, and she hoped Te Urewera National Park could offer recreation and relief when it reopens on 10 January.
"We are delighted to welcome whānau and manuhiri (guests) to Waikaremoana for part of the summer season of 2024," she said.
The repair and maintenance programme was led by Te Uru Taumatua - the Tūhoe iwi authority which manages Te Urewera on behalf of Te Urewera Board.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) contributed $550,000 from its cyclone recovery funding, as well as technical support with the replacement bridge.
Volunteers from Tūhoe and other locals also pitched in to get it ready to open again.
"It has been a huge effort by our wider tribal teams within Te Uru Taumatua, with help from DOC, friends and external contractors, to get the Great Walk up to or better than DOC standards to re-open on January 10," Blair Waiwai, from the Waikaremoana team, said.
