Four days of hard work by a team of DOC staff has resulted in an important track surface upgrade, protecting kauri on the western side of Mt Karioi near Raglan.
As its name suggests, the Water-race Track follows an earthen trench which was part of an historic water race, through which water was diverted from a nearby stream, flowing along several wooden aqueducts to a small power station near the beach.
In 1924, the water race provided the water supply to power a generator providing electricity for the nearby Bryant Convalescent Home for Children. Today, it is part of a wider network of tracks DOC manages on and around Karioi and is surrounded by a stand of about 20 15-year-old kauri, measuring up to 10m in height and 40cm in diameter.
DOC Waikato Biodiversity and Heritage Ranger, Jack Garland, says resurfacing the track has required 59 tonnes of gravel, flown in by helicopter over the first two days of the job.
"The track was fairly basic, and would become very muddy after rain," Jack says.
"So to improve the experience for visitors, and ensure we met our kauri protection responsibilities, we wanted to resurface it.
"We've had kauri hygiene stations at either end of the track for a while, and resurfacing the track with gravel helps reduce the risk of spreading kauri disease."
The 59 tonnes of gravel required about 60 helicopter drops, which were made more challenging by the need to lower the chopper's bucket through forest canopy to ensure the gravel was dropped onto the track.
Although not steep, the track does undulate, with the DOC team working on an 800m stretch.
"Spreading gravel is hard physical work for the team, even with the use of a compactor to firm up the surface," says Jack. "It's been a big effort for the guys."
Jack says there's another few hundred metres of resurfacing required beyond the kauri stand, which will be completed later with ground-based equipment.
"The Water-race Track is particularly popular with locals who want to go naturing, or access the beach, and we've already had some positive feedback from people passing by while we've been on the job.
"We're hopeful the residents who use the track will like the improvements, and appreciate the effort we've put in."
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