In 2020 a group of locals formed a public Facebook group in support of a two-part cycleway to connect the communities of Waikouaiti-Karitane and Warrington/Evansdale-Waitati. Now the vision for the Coastal Connection is a walking and cycling trail that will run from Dunedin City's northernmost town of Waikouaiti, all the way to Port Chalmers, connecting to the harbour cycleway and linking the coastal communities in between. One day you’ll be able to travel off-road all the way to Oamaru.

The shared-use path will provide for safe, accessible and low-carbon active transport modes. Waikouaiti and Karitane are only 4km apart but there is no safe way to walk or ride between the two communities. This makes it difficult for many people to share local services.The people in Blueskin Bay also share many services, but there is no safe way to walk or ride between Waitati, Evansdale and Warrington.

Under the Dunedin Tracks Network Trust we received Lottery Community Facilities Funding for a technical feasibility study for our project, to be prepared by Hamish Seaton of Active Systems Ltd. That report was completed (June 2023) and it outlines the recommended routes for the proposed shared pathways to connect the coastal communities north of Dunedin to each other and the City.

Five sections of trail are described in the report. Section 1: Waikouaiti to Karitāne. • Section 2: Karitāne to Warrington • Section 3: Warrington to Evansdale. • Section 4: Evansdale to Waitati. • Section 5: Waitati to Port Chalmers (which connects to Dunedin via the Harbour Cycleway).

With the feasibility study done for the Coastal Communities Cycle Connection (Coastal Connection for short), we embarked on getting shovel-ready. Each section requires landowner easements, resource consents and detailed design processes before construction can begin. Background work continues on all the sections. We are very pleased to report that Stage One is now open! Read more here.