route, with their final list having four options. The chosen new route option, delayed from December 2017 and announced in March 2018, will be above the Gorge, but below the Saddle Road, and will bypass Ashurst. Manawatu Gorge Track A tramping track, the Manawatu Gorge Track, runs parallel to the gorge on the south side through native bush. The walking track passes several lookout points, one of which is above the site of the 2015 landslide, aptly called the "Big Slip Lookout". The majority of the track leads through native bush, with the lookouts offering views overlooking the gorge and towards the Te Apiti Wind Farm continuing on the hills north of the gorge. Also along the track, in the midst of native bush, stands the tall metal sculpture of Whatonga, one of three recognised Māori chiefs on board the Kurahaupo Waka, which journeyed across the ocean to New Zealand. The statue was funded by the Manawatu Gorge Biodiversity stakeholder group and is made of steel. It was lowered to its location in the bush by helicopter, and blessed at a dawn ceremony on 11 April 2014. The artwork on the sculpture features hammerhead shark patterns and depicts elements of the story of Whatonga's sea voyage, as well as emblems of all of the Manawatu Gorge biodiversity project stakeholders. Up to date information on all walking and biking tracks is available on the Te Apiti website. See also Te Apiti Wind Farm References 2011 landslides in Manawatu Gorge External links Te Apiti – Manawatu Gorge Landforms of Manawatū-Whanganui Canyons and gorges of New Zealand Water gaps Tararua Range