Public Access - Waiti Stream (Levin)

Have a look at the Public access website - doesnt look like theres public access to that stream direct from gladstone rd - you may need to obtain access via another nearby route - ie: in by the adjacent TA or from the nearby Poads Rd end. https://www.wams.org.nz/PublicAccessAreas/

Thanks for the link si-dog. Not getting me any further on Waiti but very helpful for some other areas I'm keen to visit. Reading the FAQs it seems you can legally use the marked paper roads but I dunno, feel very nervous about rocking up and using an unformed road as I'd imagine the adjacent farmers might not be thrilled. Tried searching the forums to see what other's experience has been but there are a lot of posts on related subjects but couldn't find many that shed much light on that particular concern.

Reading the FAQs it seems you can legally use the marked paper roads but I dunno, feel very nervous about rocking up and using an unformed road as I'd imagine the adjacent farmers might not be thrilled. Paper roads are such a contentious subject but the rules are quite clear. A paper road is government owned property. It does not belong to the adjacent landowner even though they often fail to acknowledge that fact. Even councils seem reluctant to force the law onto adjacent landowners but that is because they are getting a level of free upkeep on that road. However be very certain you are on that road. Its not unusual for a formed track to be beside and quite close to the road but not on it. If you follow the track you could be trespassed. I know of a case of a landlocked forest up north which when they went to log it they went to use the driveway of an adjacent land owner believing it to be a legal road. The legal road does exist but it is about 30 meters from this driveway and mostly swamp. They were told yes you can use the legal road we cant stop you but if you rather you can use our drive at a cost of $1 per ton of transported log. They did nicely out of it but it was still cheaper than opening the real road

legally you're in the right to use a paper road, but the reality can vary a lot. some farmer dont care about the legality, as far as some are concerned its not a road, its their land and they may have no intention of recognising it as a public right of way and they see you as trespassing. at leas one farmer has built a big shed over a paper road. the concept of right of ways just grates with some people. the driveway of a neighbour of my sisters is a shared right of way walkway that runs through another drive and property onto what he considers his private driveway that is his private property, he doesnt recognise the right of way and is a nazi to anyone who walks along his driveway... he finally acknowledged that it is a right of way but only accepts people living in neighbouring properties using it and interrogates anyone he sees asking them where they live.

legally you're in the right to use a paper road, but the reality can vary a lot. some farmer dont care about the legality, as far as some are concerned its not a road, its their land and they may have no intention of recognising it as a public right of way and they see you as trespassing. at leas one farmer has built a big shed over a paper road. the concept of right of ways just grates with some people. the driveway of a neighbour of my sisters is a shared right of way walkway that runs through another drive and property onto what he considers his private driveway that is his private property, he doesnt recognise the right of way and is a nazi to anyone who walks along his driveway... he finally acknowledged that it is a right of way but only accepts people living in neighbouring properties using it and interrogates anyone he sees asking them where they live.

legally you're in the right to use a paper road, but the reality can vary a lot. some farmer dont care about the legality, as far as some are concerned its not a road, its their land and they may have no intention of recognising it as a public right of way and they see you as trespassing. at leas one farmer has built a big shed over a paper road. the concept of right of ways just grates with some people. the driveway of a neighbour of my sisters is a shared right of way walkway that runs through another drive and property onto what he considers his private driveway that is his private property, he doesnt recognise the right of way and is a nazi to anyone who walks along his driveway... he finally acknowledged that it is a right of way but only accepts people living in neighbouring properties using it and interrogates anyone he sees asking them where they live.

legally you're in the right to use a paper road, but the reality can vary a lot. some farmer dont care about the legality, as far as some are concerned its not a road, its their land and they may have no intention of recognising it as a public right of way and they see you as trespassing. at leas one farmer has built a big shed over a paper road. the concept of right of ways just grates with some people. the driveway of a neighbour of my sisters is a shared right of way walkway that runs through another drive and property onto what he considers his private driveway that is his private property, he doesnt recognise the right of way and is a nazi to anyone who walks along his driveway... he finally acknowledged that it is a right of way but only accepts people living in neighbouring properties using it and interrogates anyone he sees asking them where they live.

I detect an echo Legal roads and right of ways are different things Right of ways can be quite fickle depending on the title applied to them. It is quite possible for a row to be only for access to the properties it serves or it can be full public access or many other things. Your sisters neighbor could be correct but without knowing more I cant comment either way Legal roads though are quite clearly defined in law. A landowner may own property either side of the road but does not own the road. He is not paying rates on that land and in theory at least must maintain fences on both sides of the road. If he has a gate on the road it must be unlocked and signposted as public access allowed. Life gets tricky when the road isnt fenced or otherwise marked and often the farmer quite deliberately puts his farm track not on the alignment of the road. Walking on the track is trespassing. A few councils have made the mistake of permitting sheds etc on legal roads and are not overly interested in fixing the problem it causes after the fact. Fixing it could be either moving the shed or realigning the road both of which are very expensive solutions. At a guess when you are 100% certain a building is on the legal road you would be correct to walk through the building GPS in hand but not around the outside. Whos game to test this idea in court?

What paper roads? Am I missing something - but I can't see (on WAMS) any paper roads or marginal strip or anything giving access to Waiti Stream. Only legal routes I see are via Poads Road or via Te Araroa and then a 2km bushbash to Waiti.