Settlers Track runs from Bath St under the High Level bridge to the boat ramp in Riverside Park on Dominion Avenue.
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Planting along Dominion Avenue preceded the development of the river-level path. It is on the northern side of the river, and for much of its length the steepness of the bank presented a challenge. The cost of installing the long and complicated stairs down from Bath Street and from Dominion Avenue was shared by Waipa District Council.
The hand-rails and posts have been thoroughly targetted by taggers, though, as usual, their messages are indecipherable and therefore quite pointless.
The easy way in to this track is from the boat ramp near the junction with Karapiro Stream, by Achilles Ave. Toilets and parking are available at the skate park in Dominion Ave. The track is at water level, which provides an intimate view of flora and fauna which thrive in that environment. Mosses, ferns, liverwort, etc. growing out of fallen and water-logged tree-trunks are irresistibly eye-catching. The track occasionally floods in winter, and care should be exercised. There is normally a waterfall at its halfway point (seen to have reduced to a barely visible trickle at the end of the 2008 drought).
In 2021, the Council asked us to clear and plant the riverbank at the Boat Ramp end of Settler's Track. They named the area Riverside Park, and the video below shows what we did with it. We were pleased to see that our plantings survived the extra water released by the electricity generators upstream on the 11th of August.
