Long Mile Road lights up
The lamps have been installed to improve safety and visibility for people using the shared path and road at night time. They are a lower height and dimmer brightness than a standard street lamp. They illuminate the path and the road below them while not taking away from the beauty of the night time forest.
Redwoods Treewalk Co-founder Bruce Thomasen says the new lamps are already benefiting people visiting the forest at night.
The new Long Mile Road pathway and lighting is fantastic and adds a sense of arrival. Previously visitors and local users of the walking trails, mountain bike tracks, dog park and of course our Treewalk visitors had to navigate a dark forest road from around 5.30pm in winter. The lighting poles themselves blend in with the environment and at night beautifully illuminate the pathway, the ferns and the trees extending down Long Mile Road.
In total, 34 new street lamps will be installed down Long Mile Road between Tarawera Road and Nursery Road. They will be connected to the Unison network and turn on as day light fades.
This work is part of the Whakarewarewa Forest development. This is a collaborative project between Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, CNI Iwi Holdings, and Rotorua Lakes Council.
Council is managing an investment of $14.5 million to enhance the forest amenity and improve the experience for all users. Council allocated $7.5 million to the project in its 2018 - 2028 Long-term Plan with $7 million to be contributed by Central Government from its Provincial Growth Fund to enable the project to be completed over the next three years. The project includes the Long Mile Road upgrade, the construction of a new Visitor Centre at the Redwoods and a new forest hub on Tarawera Road.
To keep up to date with progress at Long Mile Road and other forest developments visit rotorualakescouncil.nz/forestdevelopment.