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Pāpāmoa huanui

Pāpāmoa Shared Pathway

A new shared pathway along the Pāpāmoa Coastal Reserve to make walking and cycling safer is ready to be enjoyed by all.

Latest update

The extension of the popular coastal path from Parton Road to Taylor Reserve has now been approved by Council. While only Stage 1 was initially funded, we’ve heard loud and clear from the community that completing Stage 2 is a priority. We’re reviewing the concept design with contractors to make sure the project can be delivered within the $1m budget, with completion planned by mid-2026.

Pinch point completion

Key features of the shared pathway

The 3km asphalt pathway will make walking and cycling safer next to Pāpāmoa Beach Road and further enhances this reserve space.

During consultation, the community requested a sealed path to better meet the needs of a wide range of people, including children with scooters, people using wheelchairs, and people with roller blades. Asphalt is a commonly used material for sealed footpaths and is smooth service for people on wheels. It is highly durable and there are no health risks to the public, or to the environment, due to the material used. Other materials such as concrete and boardwalk have been used in rest areas and access ways.

The pathway provides ample width, with the 3.5m wide pathway designed to fit two people going each way. There are rest areas along the way and picnic tables at the two larger reserve areas.

The pathway will feature signage that shares the stories and history of mana whenua giving people the opportunity to reconnect and engage with this area of cultural significance. Artwork along the Pāpāmoa shared pathway was designed by Te Kapu O Waitaha and Ngā Pōtiki. The patterns have been placed along the pathway to identify beach accesses.

A whakataukī about Niho Taniwha, a kaitiaki (guardian), and a symbol of guardianship, trust and protection was the inspiration for both designs which serve as a reminder that we should all be considerate of one another when we’re using the shared path. Ngā Pōtiki's design is shown below on the left. Te Kapu O Waitaha’s design (pictured below-right) is based on Te Ara Moana which means pathways to the sea, waterways to many destinations.

Bringing this reserve space to life will support the ecological balance of the dunes while also connecting the community. The project will happen over two stages and outlined below are the details of each stage.

Stage one features:

Pathway between Pāpāmoa Domain and Parton Road Beach access.
New public toilets in the open space area (Activity Hub) opposite Parton Road as well as a drinking fountain and seating.
Pedestrian crossing points on Pāpāmoa Beach Road, located near Douglas Place, Alexander Place and Grant Place to facilitate safer walking and cycling.
Signage that tells some of the history of the area.
Some additional features as guided by community feedback (limited due to budget).

Stage two features:

Pathway from Parton Road to Taylor Reserve
Lookout areas
Further upgrades to the facilities and amenities along the full pathway.

Protecting our dunes

While investing in the coastal reserve, we also want to support our dune restoration work, alongside Coast Care.

As part of the pathway’s construction, ground planting with native dune species will be included to support the restoration of the dunes. This will not only support the ecology of the dunes, but also encourage the public to use existing formal paths through the dunes and discourage the creation of new paths.

The dunes are a significant ecological area, and in addition to hosting some rare plant species, they also protect our Pāpāmoa community as the climate changes and sea levels rise.

The dunes hold significant importance to Ngā Pōtiki and Waitaha iwi, who have collected food, played, and battled over these dunes for the last 700 years.

Key information

Project type
Parks and recreation

Status
Underway

Neighbourhood
Papamoa / Papamoa East

Key dates

Community engagement
2 - 27 November 2022
Design finalised
April 2023
Stage one - construction begins (subject to contractor and material availability)
May 2023
Estimated completion of stage one
Spring 2023
Stage two
Estimated to be completed in mid-2026

Who's listening

Spaces and Places
Tauranga City Council

Email: parks.projects@tauranga.govt.nz
Phone: 07 577 7000

Resources

Document library

Pāpāmoa shared pathway masterplan (9.3mb pdf)
Pāpāmoa shared pathway concept design (6.4mb pdf)
Pāpāmoa shared pathway - survey report (369kb pdf)
Pāpāmoa shared pathway - final design (14mb pdf)

Papamoa shared pathway

Papamoa shared pathway picnic table

Papamoa shared pathway toilet block

FAQs

Are all beach accessways still be able to be used?

The new shared pathway will provide a route to the formalised beach access points, and we will regenerate vegetation that has been damaged by people accessing the informal beach access points. We encourage beach users to use the designated accessways to help protect our dune plants.

How did this project come about?

The project came about following requests from Pāpāmoa residents for a shared path along the coast. This was supported by a number of benefits Council considered for safety and the environment.

How is this project looking after our dunes?

It's hoped that the development of a shared pathway and the creation of rest areas along the way will encourage the use of the formalised beach access ways (rather than the informal ones) that are in place and reduce damage to the dune system.

By planting in the areas between the dune vegetation and the new shared path, we will also be able to manage the intrusion of weeds along the back dune much better.

Over the past two decades, Tauranga City Council and its partners have been encouraging people to stick to the formal paths through the Pāpāmoa dunes.

The dunes are identified as a Significant Ecological Area because there are several rare and significant plant and invertebrate species that live there.

The dunes also help to enhance the resilience of the Pāpāmoa community and protect Pāpāmoa from the changing climate and sea level rise.

Unfortunately, the sensitive dune plants are damaged where people walk, which creates areas where the plants are unable to establish, and the dune system is weakened. Foot traffic also brings in weeds which can take over areas from the more vulnerable native plant species.

Where will people park?

There will be plenty of space for parking on the grass along the full length of the path, as the flat areas of grass will be retained for parking.

We will make some minor changes to these areas, which include:

Gravelling parking areas to improve maintenance.
Adding planting in the swales (low boggy areas) and the high points of the dunes to clarify where it is safe to park.
Building low fences at the rest areas of the shared path to manage parking.

What will the path be like?

The shared pathway will be constructed out of asphalt and will have a generous width of 3.5m.

Why was the pathway over the dunes near Alexander Place created?

The original proposal for this section of the pathway, near Alexander Place, was to align the route of the path adjacent to the road. However following community feedback that raised concerns about the alignment, Tauranga City Council considered a variety of options and decided that a boardwalk over the dunes was the most practical and safest option to pursue.

The dunes are ecologically protected, so we required resource consent and Wildlife Act permissions to ensure we protect the area and fauna that live there. The resource consent was granted and the Department of Conservation issued a Wildlife Permit in August 2024. Work was not able to start until the lizard dormancy period finished at the end of September. The new permanent pathway over the dunes is now open and ready for the community to use.