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Fitzroy Beach is one of Taranaki's most-loved stretches of coast, and getting there just got a whole lot easier. A new pedestrian ramp and set of steps connecting Ron Barclay Drive with the carpark opposite the Fitzroy Surf Life Saving Club has now opened, giving locals and visitors a safer, smoother way down to the sand — and the timber used throughout the build is proudly Mitchpine.

Why the Upgrade Was Needed

The old steps down to Fitzroy Beach were aging, steep, and increasingly difficult to navigate, particularly for families with prams, people using mobility scooters, and wheelchair users. New Plymouth District Council took on the project to replace that worn path with something built for everyone, in line with the Council's wider Accessibility Strategy, which aims to make the district's parks, beaches, and reserves genuinely open to all.

It's not a small ask in a district where accessibility matters more each year. Recent Stats NZ figures for New Plymouth show close to one in five residents are now aged 65 or over, and a meaningful share of the population lives with some form of disability or mobility challenge. A beach as popular as Fitzroy needed access that could keep up.

What Was Built

The finished project includes a 140-metre ramp and a 25-metre flight of steps, linking the top of Ron Barclay Drive down to the beachside carpark. Because the site sits on sandy, steep ground, extra engineering care went into the foundations to make sure the structure would hold up to coastal conditions for years to come. Landscaping and planting around the new path were included as part of the roughly $1.4 million project, more than half of which was funded through NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

Mitchpine Finished Job

Outdoor structures like this ask a lot of the timber, sun, salt air, sand, and constant foot traffic don't leave much room for error. That's exactly the kind of environment Mitchpine products are made for. Every product supplied for the Fitzroy, treated and milled right here is Horowhenua to handle demanding outdoor conditions while standing up to the elements year after year.

It's a project we're genuinely proud to have supplied timber for. Knowing that Mitchpine products are part of the path that gets a family with a pram, or someone using a mobility scooter, down to the water is exactly the kind of outcome that makes supplying quality products worthwhile.

A Beach Open to Everyone

With the ramp and steps now complete, Fitzroy Beach is more accessible than it's ever been. Whether it's a midwinter dip now or you wait for the warmer summer weather, a walk along the beach, or a trip to the popular children's pool, more people in the community can now make that trip down to the sand safely and comfortably — on a structure built with quality products made to last.