If you're heading to NZ we have some good news.
The 11.6km shared hiking and mountain biking trail, the Pike29 Memorial Track, will open on February 17. It will connect the Paparoa Track Great Walk to the Pike River Valley.
The Paparoa Track is New Zealand’s 10th Great Walk and crosses the alpine tops of the Paparoa Range on the central west coast of the South Island.
Through subtropical rainforest, limestone karst landscapes and overlooking the Tasman Sea and Southern Alps, the Paparoa Track is a walk you won't forget.
The Paparoa Track, along with the Pike 29 Memorial Track is built to remember 29 miners who lost their lives in the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster.
Pike River Families Group Committee chairperson Colin Smith said: “The Pike29 Memorial Track is another step towards the Pike River families’ goal of creating an enduring memory for their family members lost in the Pike River mine disaster as well as long-term sustainable economic benefits for those West Coast communities impacted by the disaster.”
The Paparoa Track starts 30 minutes from Greymouth, in Blackball, an old mining town on the east of the Paparoa Range. It finishes in the world-famous home of the Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki.