On the 3d of May 2022, Chris Wilson, local Artist and Designer came to have a look at the progress made on the tables he had built. All the tables and seat have been delivered on site but some of them still need some work. These tables have been exquisitely crafted out of Totara timber and blend so perfectly with the landscape. Chris has taken note of what needs doing and will come back with the tools and equipment he needs to complete the work. A big thank you to Chris for his support.

On the 20 th of April 2022, Todd Murphy came to Whangawehi to assess the damage created by the last storm. Todd has got a wealth of knowledge and will get underway in May once the weather has dried up the track. The storms that have hit the walkway have obliged the WCMG to future proof the infrastructure from severe weather events by increasing significantly the size of key culverts. This has significantly increased the cost of the project.

With the heath and safety induction carried out Todd is ready to start as soon as the weather allows.

The water monitoring data shows some high levels of E Coli in several parts of the catchment. Geese have been building in numbers over time and could be responsible of this high spikes.

On Monday the 21 st of March 2022, the walkway reached a milestone. The track building company, in partnership with the Whangawehi team, have made some head ways and reached the 3 km marker. This means that we are half way through the work. A big thank you to our contractors for their perseverance and skills.

On Monday the 7th of March 2022, Whangawehi was a hive of activity. The track maintenance team was cutting branches to help with the graveling work. The repair work is now completed, and South Star delivered on site several machines to carry out the graveling work. A health and safety tour was organised to show the contractors the different access points, the general area and the different health and safety concerns to take into considerations in this type of environment. The work started on Tuesday the 8^th of March on the steepest part of the track called Mamangu. The progress of the work will rely on weather conditions. We hope that the winter rain will hold off until the graveling work is finished. A big thank you to Westerlund Contracting Ltd and South Star trails Ltd for their support.

On Thursday the 25th of February 2022, the walkway was a hive of activity. A digger operator completed an extensive track upgrade in the forestry with several culverts installed to capture excess water off the track. Several direction signs have also been installed. The signage work will continue once the tracks have dried up a bit more.

In the lower reaches, South Star is continuing the repair work with 2 diggers on site. The large slip has been worked with additional culverts and drainage systems installed. The track surface has been engineered to take the water off the track in the very steep parts.

The gravelling team is expected at the end of next week. We hope the weather is going to hold.

Russel Jane has been working a lot on our public facilities mainly located around the hut.

The stair case leading to the toilets is now completed as well as the kitchen sink bench and tank stand around the hut. More picnic tables will be soon installed near the crossing to offer a place for our visitors to rest.

Thank you all for your support.

The repair work is progressing very well. Several retaining walls and culverts have already been installed. A second digger operator will be on site this week to get the job done faster. The gravelling crew will be then able to start the work sometime next week (weather permitting). A big thank you to everybody for their help. We don’t have a lot of time left before winter sets and any additional support has been much appreciated.