The 3.5km trail will connect to an existing recreational trail and an active travel link at the southern end of Hanley’s Farm and travel, off road, through the growing Woolbrae and Park Ridge subdivisions.
It will hug the left side of State Highway 6 at the base of Peninsula Hill and then rejoin the wider trail network at Kawarau Falls.
The detailed design is complete and it is now going through a final safety audit.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi promised the trail — dubbed the ‘‘A7’’ — for six years, before telling the trust it had no money to build it in 2024.
Queenstown Trails then stepped in and late last year gained resource consent. It subsequently launched a fundraising campaign to turn the proposal into reality.
Central Lakes Trust was first in, with a $313,000 grant, while last year it was reported Park Ridge Ltd also donated $100,000.
Earlier this year, trails boss Mark Williams added more than $33,000 to the tally through his two-week ‘‘Tour Aotearoa’’ campaign, when he cycled from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
He said there had also been a ‘‘significant contribution’’ from Darby Partners. A charity golf tournament was in the works at Jacks Point to top up the coffers and Park Ridge planned to hold a charity house auction — all proceeds from that would contribute to any shortfall in overall project funding.
That had given the trust confidence it had sufficient funding to proceed, Mr Williams said.
‘‘The support from the community and the developers signals the importance of this vital infrastructure and the need to get it built ASAP.
‘‘We’re so thankful for both the financial support to complete the design and construction, but also the generosity of the landowners, including Mike Mee, James and Jane Paterson and Darby Partners, who have granted permissions to enable the trail.’’
Mr Williams hoped the project could go out for tender by the middle of the year, once the road safety audit was signed off.
According to an information sheet, it was hoped the trail would be operational some time during the summer of 2026-27.
