Meet Queenstown Trails Trust CEO, Mark Williams – Willy to the Queenstown locals who love his work. When we catch up with Willy, he’s navigating the final permits required to open two new additions to the Queenstown Trail. The Wharehuanui Trail is now open to the public, and the Shotover Gorge Trail which is still under contsruction open up the north of the Whakatipu Basin. Both trails have been years in the planning, and Willy can’t wait to see people enjoying the new rides.
Willy (left), out on the trails
The Wharehuanui Trail
The Wharehuanui Trail runs 17 kilometres from Arrowtown to Arthurs Point. You can begin the trail in Arrowtown, pass through Millbrook and follow Mill Creek upstream to its headwaters at the base of Coronet Peak.
Willy is excited about the section of new trail along the base of Coronet Peak because it connects the wider Queenstown Trail network to a backcountry network of mountain bike tracks. Willy says, “You can join the Coronet Loop, the base of Hot Rod lets you access the mountain bike trails off Coronet Peak, while the Dan O'Connell Climb links to the trails in Mahu Whenua. It becomes a great integrated network of trails connected to Arrowtown.”
The trail then runs along the base of Coronet Peak with spectacular views back towards the Remarkables, before descending towards Arthurs Point.
The Wharehuanui Trai, along the base of Coronet Peak
Trails give access for habitat restoration and predator control
When you follow the new Wharehuanui Trail along Mill Creek from Millbrook to Coronet Peak you can see restoration work to improve the quality of Lake Hayes. Environmental trust Mana Tāhuna are removing invasive willows and replanting the marginal strips with native plants that filter out nitrates and prevent sediment from ending up in the lake.
The trails have also created an opportunity for predator control. Willy says, “The whole idea of the Queenstown Trail being used for katiakitanga for the restoration and healing of the land is really important to us. We're working with the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust and Southern Lakes Sanctuary. The trails give them easy access to lay predator traps, so the land around the trails becomes a green corridor for native birds.”
“We’ve been inspired by examples like the Old Ghost Road on the West Coast. The area was difficult for predator control because it was dense bush. The Old Ghost Road trail went in, and the Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust came along and put thousands of traps down. Now as you ride along the trail, the native bird song in the trees above you is incredible. It’s very cool to think of our Queenstown trails as enablers for good conservation outcomes.”
Planting natives at Lake Hayes
Built by the Queenstown community
The Wharehuanui Trail and the Shotover Gorge Trail have been made possible by the support of local people and government funding. Willy says, “It's really rewarding to have such good support and understanding for what we're trying to do from people who live locally. We’re also fortunate to have gifted local designers and contractors to build these tracks. This is very much a community first project. We’re building this with local people, for the people who live here.”
“We’ve had incredible support from a large group of lifetime supporters. Three major donors – Scott and Rachel McLaren, the Drury family, and the Alterno Foundation – sponsored the three towers that hold up Kimiakau Bridge along the Shotover Gorge trail. The community sponsored 110 planks for the deck of the bridge. Then the Kuperus Crossing in Coronet Peak station was sponsored by the Kuperus Family, and we’ve the McQuilkin Family Bridge on the Lower Shotover Trail.”
“The trails are also a partnership with the Queenstown Lakes District Council, who provide important ongoing maintenance and support for the Queenstown Trail. We’re fortunate to have a Council that sees the benefits of the cycle trails to locals, visitors, and the economy.”
Aligned to Queenstown’s goal to be a carbon zero destination
Willy knows how important it is to create a safe, off-road trail network if we want more people to cycle instead of jumping in their cars. He says, “We won’t get behavioural change until we develop safe routes people are happy to send their kids to school on and happy to ride themselves without fear of getting knocked off by a truck.”
“If we build a good off-road network, people will use it, especially as traffic gets worse. The new bridge at Kawarau Falls is only 300 vehicle movements a day off being at capacity. And when you think of the scale of development proposed and the amount of land rezoned for redevelopment, we’re going to see more and more traffic backed up.”
“At that point, if there’s a safe, active transport route, and you can hop on your bike and cycle a few kilometres to work, why wouldn't you ride to avoid delays? With a good active transport network, we’ll see a lot more people leaving their cars at home.”
Queenstown Trail
As a community, we’ve got to think big
When Willy thinks about the future, he believes Queenstown could be an example to the rest of the country and even the world. He says, “Queenstown has been discussing alternate modes of transport such as a gondola, monorail, and water taxis. And we just looked at a paper on European countries that have adopted a new policy where they're devoting more and more space on the highways to cycling because it's achieving their climate carbon emission goals, and a more active population has health and wellbeing benefits.”
Willy feels frustration at the lack of funding for local communities to establish active transport networks. But while he believes it’s vital for Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and local councils to invest in active transport infrastructure, he’s also not the type of person who sits around and waits for things to happen.
He says, “The next step for us now is thinking about we step into that gap, so trails can be used for active transport by visitors and the local Queenstown community. We're already looking at how we get involved developing the southern corridor from Jack's Point to Frankton. This route has been under discussion for years, but it hasn’t been built yet. So, we hope to jump on that and get that moving. It won't be a four-metre-wide sealed trail like the off-road link proposed, but if we build another two and a half metre wide gravel trail as part of the Queenstown Trail network, it will still get a lot of use.”
Support the Queenstown Trail
If you love riding the trails around Queenstown, you can donate, become a regular trail supporter, or volunteer at events like the Queenstown Marathon and Motatapu.
Start planning your Queenstown biking adventure with our guide to biking in Queenstown. With advice for bikers new to Queenstown, families biking with kids, mountain biking for pros, gear hire, bike parks and top trails, we’ve all the inspiration you need.
Queenstown Garden Trail