Key drops in to open cycleway at Ohakune

MIKE WATSON

ON YER BIKE: Prime Minister John Key has opened a section of the national cycleway network in Ohakune.

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Prime Minister John Key has opened a section of the national cycleway network in Ohakune but had no time to enjoy riding the 16-kilometre track.

Landing in Ohakune in an RNZAF Iroquois, Mr Key cut the ribbon yesterday to open the Old Coach Road cycleway, a 16km section of the planned 200km Mountains to the Sea cycleway from Ruapehu to Whanganui. The two-hour visit gave him little spare time to ride the track.

He told a gathering of locals and iwi that it would take cyclists four to six days to bike the trail, once it was completed next year, from Tongariro National Park, down the Whanganui River, through Whanganui National Park to the city.

Employment opportunities would arise for accommodation providers, cycle-hire companies and shuttle services.

"Ohakune is a winter tourist area but cycling is now a reason to come to the town in the summer," Mr Key said.

It is estimated that cyclists will add up to $3 million annually to the local economy.

- © Fairfax NZ News