- Hon Shane Jones
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones will attend the official opening of two highly anticipated tourism projects on the West Coast today - Pike29 Memorial Track, dedicated to the memory of the Pike River miners, and Pounamu Pathway.
"The Pike29 Memorial Track is a way to remember and honour the men the community lost in 2010," Mr Jones says.
"Today's official opening of the Pike29 Memorial Track is a significant milestone for the families, many of whom are attending the opening at this beautiful location to see their wishes fulfilled."
The Pike29 Memorial Track is an 11.6km shared-use track for walkers and cyclists which climbs 880m from the Pike River Valley floor to a ridgeline where it connects with the Paparoa Track Great Walk.
The track's creation came about through a partnership of the Department of Conservation, Ngāti Waewae and some of the Pike River families.
"Not only is this track a tribute to the men who lost their lives, it is expected to be extremely popular with tourists, bringing economic benefits to a region that has so much untapped potential," Mr Jones said.
Later today Mr Jones will be at the opening of Pounamu Pathway at Māwhera Pā in Greymouth, one of four tourism experiences exploring the history and traditions of Aotearoa, the people of Poutini Ngāi Tahu, and the West Coast's relationship to the greenstone trade.
Wētā Workshop and Cerebral FX were involved in creating the immersive storytelling experience.
Pounamu Pathway will eventually consist of four connected centres in Māwhera (Greymouth), Awarua (Haast), Kawatiri (Westport) and Hokitika.
