July 03, 2020
Kawakawa steam train gets PGF boost
Another Northland railway line is getting a new lease of life thanks to the Provincial Growth Fund – but don’t expect to see containers on it any time soon.
The fund is putting $5.5 million into the Northern Adventure Experience to improve and enhance the visitor experience in the Bay of Islands.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says some of that money will go into extending the vintage rail experience, which is based on what was the first railway in the North Island – a horse-drawn tram built in 1868 to haul coal from the mines in Kawakawa to Derrick Landing.
Six kilometres of cycleway that runs over old railway tracks will be replaced, and the railway will be extended to run from Kawakawa all the way to Ōpua.
In addition, the historic 109-year-old steam ferry Minerva Steamboat will be fully restored to operate from Ōpua.
Northern Adventure Experience will train local residents to support the tourism ventures, with up to 25 permanent jobs in the tourism industry and 68 construction jobs created.
Another $2 million is going to the Queenstown Resort College in the Bay of Islands for a project to help retain and up-skill up to 250 tourism and hospitality employees to tell the important stories of the region.
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