A fitter Hawke's Bay coming out of lockdown

Hawke’s Bay locals have made a record month in April walking and cycling round our trails.

Vicki Butterworth, Hawke's Bay Regional Council Cycle Network coordinator, says in April 77,334 walking and biking trips were counted on the Hawke’s Bay Trails network.

“This is pretty surprising because we didn’t have our favourite Big Easy event at Easter, had no visitors to the region, and 25% of the trails were closed for community safety - and it was up 15 per cent on last year,” says Vicki.

“These numbers show us that with no visitors to the region, locals during lockdown have been getting out using the trails. It shows how beneficial this infrastructure is to the Hawke’s Bay community, especially in coping with COVID19 and being able to get out safely for short walks or bike rides.”

Trail numbers are monitored across 10 counters spread across the nearly 200km network. Last month in April we counted 77,334 walking/cycling trips on the network, compared to 66,985 trips counted in April 2019.

“A huge thanks to the locals for their support in respecting the closures in Levels 4 and 3. It’s great to see so many enjoying the trails, staying safe, and getting fit. We look forward to opening the whole network as we move into Level 2. Keep it up and remember not to touch surfaces like gates, wash your hands often, keep 2m apart, and stay safe out there,“ says Vicki.

Head to hbtrails.nz to find out about the trails, where you can go, and how you can keep safe during COVID-19.

5 May 2020

Back to News Archive