Clifftop Walkway out of bounds

A slip last month blocking a section of the popular Mangawhai Clifftop Walkway has forced the track's closure.

Part of the national Te Araroa Trail and considered one of New Zealand's best coastal walks, it is a feature path for visitors to the annual Mangawhai Walking Weekend.

The spectacular clifftop track, rocky coast and beach walk has suffered its second slip this year, closing it completely.

An early morning walker discovered the large slip covering the track at a particularly steep section towards the southern end and reported it to Gordon Hosking, one of the Mangawhai track crew who then inspected the damage and reported it to the Department of Conservation (DoC).

The slip is not actually part of the track, but rubble and debris from the steep bank above that has become unstable and slipped down – possibly due to prolonged wet weather – covering a large section of the track making it impassable.

Doc officials, a works officer and an engineer have visited the site, made an assessment of the damage, and await geo-tech reports before planning a remedy or making any assessments as to when the track might re-open.

A section of the northern end had been damaged by a slip in April this year and work was underway to divert about 100m of track around it.

Track closure signs have been installed and alerts added to the DoC website.

CLOSED: Experts will determine if other areas near the slip are also unstable.