Wainuiomata Connector (Heartland) Ride

Opening soon, a new 28km Cycle Route will start at the Orongorongo River car park at the end of Coast Road in Wainuiomata and go through the Wainuiomata township, over the Te Hikoi Arawera / Wainuiomata Hill Shared Pathway and connect to the Hutt River Trail. It's name comes from the conenction it makes to the two ends of the Remutaka Cycle Trail. 

We’re now working with the community to bring this to life.

The attraction of a Heartland Ride

Heartland Rides are known as on-road trails within the Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail network. They’re designed to link urban centres and other key tourist attractions and “encourage cycling away from state highways and onto the safer and more enjoyable roads and paths where they will experience quintessential New Zealand”.

The route will be a Grade 3-4 ride attracting riders who are experienced riders and who are used to riding on rural roads.

How the community benefits

The Wainuiomata Heartland Ride aims to deliver a safe on-road cycling route, increase recreation and tourism opportunities and positively benefit the health and wellbeing of the community. 

This will include:

• enhanced road safety for all users through improvements to the cycling experience to improve the appeal of the ride
• employment from attractions and businesses that feature along the trail and are participating in trail related promotion
• increasing Lower Hutt’s appeal and competitiveness as a destination
• maximising opportunities for a range of recreational and health benefits for active communities.

This Heartland Ride will be a NZCT Grade 3-4 trail as another on-road and in-land option alongside the long term vision of Remutaka Cycle Trail being a loop ride right around the Remutaka Range via Eastbourne.

The Remutaka Cycle Trail attracts thousands of riders each year and generates around $4million in revenue and Wainuiomata stands to benefit from riders spending on hospitality, activities and accommodation. 

Where we're at

We're currently installing route and safety signs and will be making a few enhancements to the ride. We’ve sought input from the Waka Kotahi Transport Agency (NZTA) and are following guidelines in the New Zealand Cycle Trail Design Guide that sets outs requirements for on-road cycle routes.

We anticipate formally opening the route in January 2021.

Partnering with our community

We’re helping the route come to life as a concept that has come from and been championed by the community.

The route was first identified as an option in the longer term visioning of the Remutaka Cycle Trail upon its launch in 2014. Many recreational and touring cyclists use this route on their own accord every week.

The concept of a cycle route through Wainuiomata was championed by local residents and the Homedale Village community and the feasibility of it being a Heartland Ride was investigated in 2018.

After NZTA advice on the fit with Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail network requirements we investigated improvements required for the route and potential funding.

The concept was promoted by Love Wainuiomata and the Homedale business community in 2019. Information was shared with interest groups across the community and residents were invited to public meetings. Newspaper articles were published and info on the concept and route was available via Love Wainuiomata.

Community feedback was used in a formal application to NZTA in December 2019 for the proposed route. It has been provisionally approved which means we can access co-funding from the NZTA. Approval has also been given by Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail so the route can be part of the national network and promoted alongside 24 other Heartland Rides.

A route inspection was completed in January 2020 that has identified numerous safety enhancements including signs, road edge improvements and physical works to improve road user safety and enhance the cycling experience. 

We’ve successfully applied to NZTA and NZCT for approval to become part of the Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail network. This gave us access to NZTA funding for specific improvements along the route.

Through feedback from riders and the rural community we identified a number of safety enhancements to create a Wainuiomata Heartland Ride works list (PDF 1.9 MB).

We're working with Love Wainuiomata via a Heartland Ride working group including Wainuiomata Rural Community Association representatives, local businesses, interest groups and community board representatives to progress the project. 

Next steps

• Continued community partnership - developing business, recreation and road safety outcomes.
• Route identity story, design and marketing - developing an identity for the route that will be used on further signs, to promote the route and tourism opportunities.
• Opening the route - January 2021.

Find out more

To find out more contact Simon Cager, Senior Project Engineer:
T: 04 570 6666 
E: simon.cager@huttcity.govt.nz