The Coastal Walkway is a long

walkway In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. ''The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. a ...

located along the coast of

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The walkway stretches from near

Port Taranaki Port Taranaki is a port complex located in New Plymouth, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ...

, past the central city, through Hickford Park, past Bell Block Beach and to Tiromoana Crescent in Bell Block, north-east of New Plymouth. The walkway runs through a number of bridges, most notably, the

Te Rewa Rewa Bridge Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is a pedestrian and cycleway bridge across the Waiwhakaiho River at New Plymouth in New Zealand. Its spectacular shape and setting make it a popular landmark. Location and history The bridge is part of the northern extens ...

History

The Coastal Walkway is a

foreshoreway A greenway is usually a shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Greenways are frequently created out of disused railways, canal towpaths, utility ...

constructed in 1999, along with the ''

Wind Wand The ''Wind Wand'' is a 48-metre kinetic sculpture located in New Plymouth, New Zealand. The sculpture includes a 45-metre tube of red fibreglass, and was made to designs by artist Len Lye. To residents, it is one of the main icons of New Plymout ...

'', originally as a long walkway. In 2010, extensions were made to the walkway and an additional 3 kilometres were added, extending to Bell Block. The development was part of a joint programme by NPDC and NZTA to encourage and enable people to use active transport instead of motor vehicles. In 2014, the walkway was extended to Tiromoana Crescent in Bell Block bringing the length to 12.7km. In 2016, the walkway was extended with the Mangati Pathway, linking the coastal route across Bell Block along the Mangati Reserve to SH3.

Awards

The walkway has received numerous awards, *New Zealand Recreation Association's Outstanding Project Award 2011 for the Coastal Walkway extension (comprising the pathway and Te Rewa Rewa Bridge). *Roading Excellence Awards 2011 Supreme Award and Minor Road Project category for the extension of the Coastal Walkway to Bell Block (comprising the pathway and Te Rewa Rewa Bridge), from Roading New Zealand. *The Aesthetics Medium Award 2011 (for bridges with spans between 30m and 75m long) at the Footbridge Awards in Poland, for Te Rewa Rewa Bridge. *The Arthur G. Hayden Medal 2011 from the International Bridge Conference for Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, for outstanding achievement in bridge engineering that demonstrates innovation in special-use bridges. *Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Brebner Team Architecture won the Urban Category in the 2009 Western Architecture Awards by the New Zealand Institute of Architects for the construction of the Coastal Walkway's pedestrian railway overpass at the end of Liardet Street. *LivCom Awards 2008 – Natural Section of the Environmentally Sustainable Projects Award (Gold) *Gemini

Cycle Friendly Awards The New Zealand Cycle Friendly Awards were devised by the Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) in 2003. The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge and celebrate some of the most notable achievements in the country that are helping to promote cycling ...

2008 – Best Cycle Facility Project Award (Coastal Pathway) *NZ Institute of Landscape Architects – George Malcolm Award (2006) *

International Federation of Landscape Architects The International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) is an organisation which represents the landscape architectural profession globally. It aims to provide leadership and networks to support the development of the profession and its effe ...

– Eastern Region Awards (2005) *NZ Institute of Landscape Architects – Gold Award (2003) *New Zealand Recreation Association – Outstanding Project Award (2003) *

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents 90 per cent of all registered architects in New Zealand, and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand livi ...

– Resene Award for Architecture: Public Amenities, Foreshore Toilets (2002) *

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

, Creative Places Award – Judge's Citation (2002)

References

New Plymouth Tourist attractions in Taranaki Transport in Taranaki Hiking and tramping tracks in New Zealand Coastline of New Zealand {{Taranaki-geo-stub