Update: 12 September 2022

Harvesting is complete in the Marsden Valley. Glider Road reparation works will take approximately another two weeks as there are still some major weather event slips to repair.

Harvesting in the Maitai is facing major delays due to site topography, and a lack of access caused by the road closures related to the weather event. Harvesting is now due to be completed in four weeks. As contractors become available, the bridge washout along the pipeline section of the Coppermine Trail will be fixed, along with repair of the section of track damaged during the harvesting operation.

Update: 11 August 2022

Two months of significant rainfall has had an impact on the harvesting operations. The completion date for this work has been pushed out to the end of August 2022.

Update: 14 July 2022

At this stage, the current closures that are in place in the Maitai Valley will be lifted in mid-August. The weather has slowed the current operation.

There will still be some logging continuing in the Maitai after this point (for another 6 weeks) but it won't impact the trails.

Update: 17 June 2022

Due to road works taking place on Collingwood Street, logging trucks will need to use Milton Street between 7am and 7pm. Works will be completed by the end of the day and when that happens logging trucks will return to their usual route on Collingwood Street.

Drivers will travel down Milton Street with extreme caution, looking out for pedestrians and cyclists, and not exceed 30kph.

Update: 10 May 2022

The recently harvested areas in the Atmore and Tantragee Reserves are being replanted with native trees. in order to make sure the area is ready to be planted, our contractors will be carrying out aerial spraying this coming week (11 May 2022).

The contractors are very experienced and there will be no spray drift. These blocks are well away from residential areas, so there should be no impact. The fact that these areas are closed due to the pest control operations, makes it simple and easy to undertake these operations.

Update: 30 April 2022

Glider Road is open for the weekend. Please note the Marsden area will be closed from Monday 2 May 2022 (week days only) for pest control operations. These operations will continue for the month of May.

More information about the pest control operation can be read here.

Update: 21 April 2022

The contractor has almost finished the massive job of reducing the slash to wood chips.

Today's weather meant that it wasn't safe to continue work, so it is likely that it will continue through to next week.


Update: 15 April 2022

The contractors have been working on grinding the slash around the Glider Road, to make this area safe in the long term for recreational users.

This is the first time this work has been done onsite in one of our forests and is taking longer than anticipated.

It does however mean we are reducing double-handling of the slash (which reduces trucking requirements - reducing our carbon emissions).

We appreciate many recreational users are keen to get back up and down Glider Road, and we will let everyone know when it is open again (via. this page and on our Facebook page).

Thanks for your patience and understanding, and this will be a great outcome long term.


Update: 5 April 2022

Work on the remediation of Glider Road continues, with slash material being ground up so that it is not a hazard for users.

It is expected that this work will be completed just before Easter (weather dependent).

This work is taking longer than anticipated, but it will mean our recreational areas are safe.

Update: 1 March 2022

The harvesting in Marsden Valley is due to be completed this week, with a further couple of weeks required after that for reinstatement/tidying up of the area.

The harvesting in the Maitai Valley is due to be completed in July 2022.

Update: 14 December 2021

Marsden Valley - Harvesting will cease over the Christmas break, finishing on Friday 17 December 2021. It will begin again on Wednesday 5 January 2022.

The Glider Road (between Barnicoat walkway trail and Fincham Road), will remain closed during this time, due to dangerous windthrown trees still near the road. The Barnicoat walkway and Fincham Road will be available to be used during this shutdown period.

Maitai Valley - There have been some delays with harvesting, meaning the work will need to continue into January. 2022. However, all trails will be open over the Christmas period (Saturday 18 December 2021 to Sunday 9 January 2022), with the exception of Wardrop Road (629, Smiths Ford Climb).



Nelson City Council is committed to the sustainable harvesting of our commercial forests. We also recognise the role these forests play in recreation use in our region.

It's now time to harvest some blocks of trees in the Brook, Maitai and Marsden areas.

The harvesting of the Brook blocks was delayed in 2020 to allow commercial recreation businesses that operate either near or within commercial blocks to continue operating after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Phase 1, 2 and 3 of the Brook harvesting has now been completed. Work moved to the Maitai, which had been delayed in order to build a bridge over the Maitai River to protect our precious water source. This bridge has now been completed.

Harvesting in the Marsden area was brought forward to recover trees blown over in a recent storm, and to repair a major slip.

Maitai Harvest

This work is now complete.

Nelson City Council’s contractor PF Olsen has been undertaking a five-month harvesting project in the Brook. This includes pre-harvest engineering work and post-harvest cleanup operation, with the actual harvesting period expected to take approximately three months.

Once the work is complete, all the harvested areas in the Brook will be retired from commercial forestry and replaced with alternative use species.

The harvest will be conducted in three phases and will involve closures of reserves in the Codgers Trails area and the start of the Matai Valley. The harvest is being phased to minimise disruption to reserve users while ensuring their safety and the safety of those working on site.

Phase 1 will commence mid-June (from 24 June 2021) and last for two months*. During this phase, the north side of Codgers near Atmore Reserve down to the Maitai Valley Walkway will be closed, including recreational trails crossing Fireball Road, Top Dog Road and Golf Course Road.

The following trails will be CLOSED:
Turners, Top Dog, Beer Bottle, Lollipop, Take Me To Your Leader, HotBox, DiVAS, Smasher (and Smasher link trail), Fireball Road, Te Ara Kopiko, Golf Course Road and Groom Creek Road.

*The final stages of Phase 1 were disrupted by weather and the August 2021 Level 4 lockdown.

It is expected the Phase 1 area will be able to reopen around the end of September 2021.

PHASE 1 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Access is now available to the Phase 1 area of the Brook Harvest, which includes the Maitai Codgers area. This area is Ngāti Koata owned whenua and users must register online prior to accessing the land at https://join.hivepass.co.nz/codgers (registration is not required for Nelson Mountain Bike Club Members).

The Phase 3 area remains close which includes many of the Codgers trails accessed from the Brook, therefore access to the reopened Phase 1 area is only via the Matai climbing trails (including Golf Course Road).

Phase 2 will commence on 28 July and last up to two weeks. This phase will see the Tantragee Reserve closed.

The following trails will be CLOSED:
The Tantragee Walkway and Coppermine Trail (Tantragee to Four Corners).

Fringed Hill Road will be closed during Phase 2.

This phase will affect some residents living below this harvesting, and there will be some temporary traffic control. Affected residents will be contacted directly.

The Exclusion Zone will be in place until Tuesday 3 August.

Planting of the area (with native trees) finished at the end of August.

PHASE 2 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Phase 3 will commence when Nelson moves out of Level 4 lockdown and will last four to six weeks. This phase will see the closure of the majority of trails in Codgers recreation area, up to the Tantragee Saddle and down into the Maitai Valley.

The following trails will be CLOSED:

  • Te Ara Kopiko
  • Groom Creek Road
  • Maitai Valley Walk (Tantragee to Maitai Walkway)
  • Jacks Track (Upper and Lower)
  • Middle Road
  • Fireball Road from Tantragee to Smasher
  • Turners (remains closed for Phases 1 & 3)
  • Firball Climb
  • Waynes Passage
  • Firball (to Firball Dropout)
  • Koata Whetu
  • P51 (to Crazy Horse/Lower Firball junction)
  • Whaneke
  • Viral Flow
  • IV Line
  • HulknHogan

Contractors are hoping to have the Phase 3 area reopened early October (estimated around 8 October).

Ngāti Koata land from the Maitai Motor Camp via Groom Creek to Tantragee Saddle will be closed during all phases of the harvest, including recreational trails crossing Groom Creek Road and Fireball Road.

PHASE 3 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.


Harvested trees will be transported via Maitai Valley Road and Nile Street. As has been discussed with schools, logging trucks will not exceed 30kph when passing schools. Trucks will also not travel past schools during the hours of 8:15 - 9:15 am and 2:45 - 3:45 pm during the school term.

Marsden Harvest

This work is now complete.

During a recent storm, a large number of trees up the Barnicoat were blown over. There was also a significant slip on the road, which is having an impact on access for recreational users.

The block of trees was scheduled to be harvested in a couple of years, but to avoid losing the windthrown trees, we are bringing the harvesting of this block forward. At the same time, we will be able to work on the slip.

This means we will be closing the area all at once, to minimise the overall impact on users of this area.

From November 2021, crews will be up in this area harvesting trees (preparation work will begin in October depending on contractor availability). This will mean that we will have to close the Barnicoat walkway during this time for the safety of everyone.

Tracks that will be closed during this harvesting include:

  • Piwakawaka
  • Barnicoat walkway/Glider Road

Brook Harvest

This work is now complete.

Nelson City Council’s contractor PF Olsen has been undertaking a five-month harvesting project in the Brook. This includes pre-harvest engineering work and post-harvest cleanup operation, with the actual harvesting period expected to take approximately three months.

Once the work is complete, all the harvested areas in the Brook will be retired from commercial forestry and replaced with alternative use species.

The harvest will be conducted in three phases and will involve closures of reserves in the Codgers Trails area and the start of the Matai Valley. The harvest is being phased to minimise disruption to reserve users while ensuring their safety and the safety of those working on site.

Phase 1 will commence mid-June (from 24 June 2021) and last for two months*. During this phase, the north side of Codgers near Atmore Reserve down to the Maitai Valley Walkway will be closed, including recreational trails crossing Fireball Road, Top Dog Road and Golf Course Road.

The following trails will be CLOSED:
Turners, Top Dog, Beer Bottle, Lollipop, Take Me To Your Leader, HotBox, DiVAS, Smasher (and Smasher link trail), Fireball Road, Te Ara Kopiko, Golf Course Road and Groom Creek Road.

*The final stages of Phase 1 were disrupted by weather and the August 2021 Level 4 lockdown.

It is expected the Phase 1 area will be able to reopen around the end of September 2021.

PHASE 1 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Access is now available to the Phase 1 area of the Brook Harvest, which includes the Maitai Codgers area. This area is Ngāti Koata owned whenua and users must register online prior to accessing the land at https://join.hivepass.co.nz/codgers (registration is not required for Nelson Mountain Bike Club Members).

The Phase 3 area remains close which includes many of the Codgers trails accessed from the Brook, therefore access to the reopened Phase 1 area is only via the Matai climbing trails (including Golf Course Road).

Phase 2 will commence on 28 July and last up to two weeks. This phase will see the Tantragee Reserve closed.

The following trails will be CLOSED:
The Tantragee Walkway and Coppermine Trail (Tantragee to Four Corners).

Fringed Hill Road will be closed during Phase 2.

This phase will affect some residents living below this harvesting, and there will be some temporary traffic control. Affected residents will be contacted directly.

The Exclusion Zone will be in place until Tuesday 3 August.

Planting of the area (with native trees) finished at the end of August.

PHASE 2 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Phase 3 will commence when Nelson moves out of Level 4 lockdown and will last four to six weeks. This phase will see the closure of the majority of trails in Codgers recreation area, up to the Tantragee Saddle and down into the Maitai Valley.

The following trails will be CLOSED:

  • Te Ara Kopiko
  • Groom Creek Road
  • Maitai Valley Walk (Tantragee to Maitai Walkway)
  • Jacks Track (Upper and Lower)
  • Middle Road
  • Fireball Road from Tantragee to Smasher
  • Turners (remains closed for Phases 1 & 3)
  • Firball Climb
  • Waynes Passage
  • Firball (to Firball Dropout)
  • Koata Whetu
  • P51 (to Crazy Horse/Lower Firball junction)
  • Whaneke
  • Viral Flow
  • IV Line
  • HulknHogan

Contractors are hoping to have the Phase 3 area reopened early October (estimated around 8 October).

Ngāti Koata land from the Maitai Motor Camp via Groom Creek to Tantragee Saddle will be closed during all phases of the harvest, including recreational trails crossing Groom Creek Road and Fireball Road.

PHASE 3 HAS BEEN COMPLETED.


Harvested trees will be transported via Maitai Valley Road and Nile Street. As has been discussed with schools, logging trucks will not exceed 30kph when passing schools. Trucks will also not travel past schools during the hours of 8:15 - 9:15 am and 2:45 - 3:45 pm during the school term.