DOC plans $121,000 reroute of Hahei Beach Short Walk

The Department of Conservation (DOC) plans to build a new section of track that bypasses the landslide-damaged part of the Hahei Beach Short Walk.

Contractors begin on 14 November, when the track becomes a work site. DOC Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly urges the public to respect the current closure and stay off the track.

A landslide in early 2026 damaged the walk, which is part of the Mautohe Cathedral Cove Reserve. It stopped DOC’s earlier reroute project and raised questions about whether the track could stay open.

“Given the ongoing risks to infrastructure and the costs associated with stabilisation, the reroute provides a more practical and resilient long-term option for walking access,” said Kelly.

DOC says stabilising the track around two bridges on the top section was estimated at $303,000 in 2024. Building the reroute now is estimated at $121,000.

The plan follows DOC’s public engagement on the walk’s future. The HRRA made a submission suggesting a way forward, and it met DOC in August. Its preferred approach was to keep access along the existing walk and build a new section around the affected area.

DOC staff also proposed that the community take a larger role in looking after the track, with a community agreement on the table. The HRRA’s preferred approach is routine maintenance and trapping. DOC would keep responsibility for visitor safety, major asset replacement and recovery work after events.

Walkers on the reroute will get views across Hahei Beach to Te Pare Pā and Hereheretaura Pā, especially coming down from Grange Road.

DOC plans to remove the infrastructure installed earlier at Waimata Gemstone Bay and reuse it on the reroute. It will build a new barrier where the old stairs were damaged and put seating at the bottom of the bay. The existing bridges on the track are to be removed once the reroute is finished.

DOC and the HRRA both acknowledge the cultural connection Ngāti Hei has to Mautohe. They say working with Ngāti Hei will be critical to future success.