Cycling
Riding near Arapuni? Check these two separate closures
Arapuni Dam road works and a separate damaged trail section both affect planning. The vehicle detour is not a cycling route.
Checked 24 September 2026.
If you’re planning a Waikato River Trails ride around Arapuni, check the latest notices before joining sections together. There are two separate restrictions to account for.
The trail organisation’s 28 August notice says Arapuni Road across the dam closed on 1 September 2026 for approximately 24–36 months of Mercury works. Riders and walkers travelling between Arapuni and Waipapa Dam need vehicle support around that closure. The Powerhouse Road detour is for vehicles only.
A separate notice dated 12 August says the trail from Waipapa Dam to Mangarewa Bridge remains closed until further notice because of slips and missing sections.
What about the new connecting trail?
The organisation also describes a new, signposted trail between Arapuni Swingbridge and Jones Landing, opened from 1 September around the worksite.
Our suggestion: sketch out your intended start, finish and transport arrangements, then check each against the current official notices. Agree on the vehicle plan before setting off. Don’t improvise a riding detour onto a road the operator has explicitly excluded.
For a trip today, its current notices and on-site directions take priority over this dated summary.
For the gear side of planning a ride, browse ReGear's second-hand cycling gear. Check each item's size and condition against what you need.
Updated 26 September 2026: shortened the wording for easier reading.
Photo credit
Photo: Arapuni Swingbridge — possumgirl2 / CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to fit.
