Birchville Bridge to Kaitoke Regional Park

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Birchville Bridge to Kaitoke Regional Park This reach extends 4.7km between Birchville Bridge and the Te Marua reservoirs where farmed river terraces give way to bush-clad hills opposite the stock car track, where the river emerges from the Hutt Gorge at Kaitoke. the regenerating indigenous forest extends all the way to the river edge. The Kaitoke Regional Park boundary is just upstream of the Te Marua Golf Club. This reach of the river is the most natural, in terms of its geomorphology and minimal human interference /channelising. For the first part of the reach, upstream of Birchville True Left Bank Bridge, the river is cut down into the bedrock and confined to a narrow channel. The Emerald Hill residential area adjoins the river upstream of Birchville Bridge. Upstream, the river channel meanders across the full width of the valley floor. The The river trail here is located in a narrow berm between the top of the riverbank and river terraces within the river bends are occupied by farmland, Te Marua Golf Club, the residential boundary fences. Upstream of the residential area the old river terraces are stock car track and the Kaitoke reservoirs and recreational area. The meandering river occupied by small-scale farming activities. The river edge is densely vegetated with a channel provides several popular swimming holes along both sides of the reach. mix of exotic and indigenous trees and shrubs. Active erosion processes are evident in several places where floods have cut into the The river berm narrows and is constricted between SH2 and the river for about 800m gravel river cliffs, notably opposite the Te Marua Golf Course and just downstream of up to the Mangaroa River confluence and Te Marua Golf Club. The vegetation along the Mangaroa River confluence, where undercutting has threatened SH2 and the river this section is dominated by invasive weed species. This, combined with the restricted trail. NZ Transport Agency has completed erosion protection work to reinforce the river space adjacent to SH2, makes it an unattractive section of the river trail. Floods have edge, and this has included a 2.2m-wide sealed pathway. eroded a section of the bank, potentially undermining SH2 and affecting the river trail The trail on the true left bank effectively finishes at Mangaroa Bridge due to the land just downstream of the Mangaroa River. NZ Transport Agency completed erosion ownership upstream and/ or the erosion issues. protection works in 2017 and reinstated the river trail as part of these works.

True Right Bank The river trail crosses SH2 via an underpass and then crosses the Mangaroa River via an old road bridge to emerge back on the non-river side of SH2. This is a highly visible start/ The Gillespies Road residential area adjoins the river for about 1km upstream of the end point for the Hutt River Trail and provides an opportunity to recognise it as such. Birchville Bridge. The river trail follows the riverbank, via Edmund Lomas Park and terminates where the residential settlement ends. The riverbank is heavily vegetated The Rimutaka Cycle Trail continues on from this point up Plateau Road and into with a mix of willow and exotic and indigenous trees and shrubs. The river terraces Pakuratahi Forest via the Maymorn entrance. upstream are predominantly farmland, with mature exotic and indigenous tree plantings Seven stormwater outfalls discharge into the river within this reach. on the terraces and river edge. A section of the high gravel cliff on the outside of the bend between 2820 and 2840 has been seriously eroded in the past decade. The

3 Develop suitable signage and elements to highlight start/end points to Hutt River Trail. Currently no acknowledgement of river trail. An opportunity to provide maps and signs showing the Short GWRC extent and features of the river trail.

Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River Environmental Strategy: Action Plan Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River Environmental Strategy: Action Plan 53 ACTIONS – RIVER REACHES

The walking/cycle access under SH2 at Mangaroa River enables safe passage away from traffic, The weedland environment between the river and SH2, could be improved The Hutt River Trail is very narrow and jammed between SH2 and the riverbank but long term this access needs to be upgraded.

FUNDING/ # MAP X SECTION ACTION EXPLANATION PRIORITY SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITY 1 Focus: Enhance Hutt River Trail link and realign it so it continues on the river side of SH2 between The short stretch along SH2, across the Mangaroa River and past Te Marua Golf Club is the Medium GWRC, NZ Mangaroa River and the Kaitoke Regional Park entrance. missing link on the river trail to enable safe passage between Birchville and Kaitoke Regional Park Transport Agency, without having to cross SH2 twice. This would require bridging across the Mangaroa River. UHCC Enhance links with Rimutaka Cycle Trail and GWRC mountain-bike trails in Pakuratahi Forest/ The river corridor and river trails are an important part of the UHCC open space and recreational Medium GWRC, UHCC Tunnel Gully areas. networks. Links to adjoining cycle trails extend the network and opportunities. 2 2730-2760 Enhance planting on narrow section of Hutt River Trail between river and SH2. Replace the weedland environment (gorse and blackberry) with indigenous vegetation to enhance Short GWRC the experience along this section of the river trail. The river has eroded the bank adjacent to SH2, affecting the Hutt River Trail. Erosion protection Erosion protection works adjacent to SH2 to protect the road from being undermined by the A good example of well managed tree planting in Kaitoke Regional Park work by NZ Transport Agency has been carried out to prevent further undermining. river were carried out by NZ Transport Agency in 2017. This section of the Hutt River Trail was 3 Develop suitable signage and elements to highlight start/end points to Hutt River Trail. Currently no acknowledgement of river trail. An opportunity to provide maps and signs showing the Short GWRC reinstated as part of these works. extent and features of the river trail.

Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River Environmental Strategy: Action Plan 54

Birchville Bridge to Kaitoke Regional Park

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Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River Environmental Strategy: Action Plan Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River Environmental Strategy: Action Plan

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