The Fiordland Trails Trust has ambitious plans to develop many multi-use trails in the Fiordland area. We want locals and visitors to enjoy our incredible scenery up close, while enjoying an incredible recreational opportunity that will bring people back time and again.
We have plans to complete the Lake2Lake Trail, removing the requirement to travel on the highway for part of it, and to develop a range of other trails.
Our immediate focus is on extending the Upukerora Loop trail from Patience Bay to Sinclair Road and then on to Boundary Creek – and we’re fast making progress!
Work on a new 3.5km trail leg from the Upukerora Bridge to Sinclair Road is underway, however it is somewhat on hold as we await a Wildlife Permit. The Trust is well aware of our responsibilities to our native wildlife and conservation in general, so this is an important step in the process.
This work is anticipated to progress in the Spring.
We also have consent for an 11km leg of the trail from Sinclair Road to Boundary Creek which will be our next focus.
The new parts of the trail network will provide a quality trail for recreational use that adheres to NZ Cycle Trail Grade 2 standards. It will offer safe, off-road access to town for residents in the Sinclair Road and Patience Bay areas and offer visitors another fantastic recreational opportunity to take in the incredible scenery of Fiordland.
For more information on any of our future plans, please get in touch – email info@fiordlandtrails.nz
The proposed development includes Legs 2 and 3 of the Te Anau-Te Anau Downs multi-use trail.
Leg 2 is 3.5km and runs from the Upukerora bridge to Sinclair Road.
Leg 3 is 11km and runs from Sinclair Road to Boundary Creek.
Throughout our planning process, which has been more than two years in the making, we have worked closely alongside experts to mitigate any potential negative impact. We have also made changes to our original plans after listening to the community (see below for information released in October 2021).
We welcome any questions about the consent application, please email us at info@fiordlandtrails.nz.
A hearing is set for July, 2022.
The Fiordland Trails Trust is preparing to lodge a resource consent application for the development of a multi-use trail from the Upukerora River trail bridge to Sinclair Road (Leg 2 of the Te Anau to Te Anau Downs trail) and to Boundary Creek (Leg 3).
This section will provide a quality trail for recreational use that adheres to NZ Cycle Trail Grade 2 standards, and will offer safe off-road access to town for residents in the Sinclair Road and the Patience Bay areas.
The Trust had initial plans for this section in 2020 but has since made changes after feedback from a public meeting in December 2020. We have amended the initial proposal to alleviate concerns as best as practically possible. It has taken some time to get to this point, as we wanted to ensure plans were signed off by our ecologist.
In response to the initial feedback, we have made the following changes to Leg 2 of the proposed trail:
The section of the proposed trail is currently overrun with noxious weed varieties, so the trail location will allow easy access for easier management of this.
The Fiordland Trails Trust has also recently been awarded Jobs for Nature funding, which will support a huge conservation project. This work is focused largely on the Upukerora River delta area and will also enhance the wetland area near Patience Bay with the planting of more than 15,000 native species and a predator control programme. This also partly funds the trail development.
Check out the perspective of the preferred alignment centre line, running north to south
