The installation of replacement barrier rails on the West End-Ōtarawairere Bay section of the Ngā Tapuwae o Toi Walkway may lead to minor delays for walkers over the next few weeks.

The barrier rails are required for safety reasons, and the project is part of an ongoing track improvement programme being undertaken by the Whakatāne District Council.

Work will begin on the track on Tuesday, 4 November and is expected to be completed in early December. Short closures of the affected walkway section, for between one and two hours, will be required at the beginning and end of the project to allow building materials and tools to be ferried into and extracted from the area by helicopter. At all other times, the track will be open to walkers, although delays of a few minutes may be experienced if the work being undertaken is temporarily blocking the track.

Council and the contractor involved are mindful of the need for Toi’s Challenge entrants to have training access to the walkway, and every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum. No work will be undertaken on weekends, with the track left clear for walkers and runners. Caution signs will be placed at track access points to inform users of the construction work in progress.

The Council apologises for any inconvenience which may be experienced by track users during the construction period.