Paper roads

[monchopper]

Monchopper is right about the gate being unlawfully locked. However be careful about paper roads. Many were surveyed in England from maps drawn by early explorers and go straight up cliffs. Leaving that aside, often tracks on the ground are only an approximation of the actual roadline and cross private land. For that reason polite enquiry is the best approach.

I fully agree re: 'polite enquiry' however the polite enquiry in this case got me a not so polite f@ck off you can't come through here.
Ultimately I believe the best source is the roading engineers at the local council, they usually have aerial images and can overlay the paper road to give a more accurate opinion of the status.

[PeteJ]

The whole point about "paper" roads is that they are legally dedicated public roads that have just not been formed yet (or, in many cases in the Sth Island, just not maintained for the last 100 years).

The last time I did any research on it - for running road trials years ago - adjacent landowners may put gates across them to control livestock, but may not lock the gates.

[B0000M]

so does this apply to paper roads around the country? theres a heap of them around these ways which id love to go for a bit of an explore on, but a lot appear locked

[The Pastor]

is there a list of paper roads? be keen to check out some in auckland one day

[B0000M]

is there a list of paper roads? be keen to check out some in auckland one day

google maps or google earth will show you. where the lines are showing a road, but there doesnt appear to be a formed road, thats a paper road

[jim.cox]

google maps or google earth will show you. where the lines are showing a road, but there doesnt appear to be a formed road, thats a paper road

Be warned that Google Earth / Google Maps are not that accurate

While it may show unformed roads, its positioning can be off by 30m or more.

And you can be done for tresspassing if you stray off the road.

[frewi]

New Zealand, boasting to the world a land of adventure. Well I think any body coming to NZ for an offroad adventure might be struggling with all these no public access routes and locked gates. Man I'm a kiwi living in France and over here they've got right of passage routes weaving through Farm land and Forestry. Open for all!! Everyone respects each others discipline, cockys don't even know the meaning of a gate. Bit of string across an opening to a paddock or crops and people don't go there. Back home some people should loosen their grip abit.

[monchopper]

New Zealand, boasting to the world a land of adventure. Well I think any body coming to NZ for an offroad adventure might be struggling with all these no public access routes and locked gates. Man I'm a kiwi living in France and over here they've got right of passage routes weaving through Farm land and Forestry. Open for all!! Everyone respects each others discipline, cockys don't even know the meaning of a gate. Bit of string across an opening to a paddock or crops and people don't go there. Back home some people should loosen their grip abit.

We've got some fairly tough laws on trespassing here!

[frewi]

We've got some fairly tough laws on trespassing here!

Imagine if you could ride from Napier to Taupo for instance on a Queens chain. Its like that over here. I can ride from Lyon to Saint Etienne which is about the same distance and I'm not trespassing. The tracks are right of passage. Infact most are the shortest route between towns dating back to the romains.

[monchopper]

Imagine if you could ride from Napier to Taupo for instance on a Queens chain. Its like that over here. I can ride from Lyon to Saint Etienne which is about the same distance and I'm not trespassing. The tracks are right of passage. Infact most are the shortest route between towns dating back to the romains.

I'd be keen to know if there are any routes from France into either Swizterland or Italy from your general area that go purely on gravel tracks/roads! over the alps. I'd love to do a off road route through the alps!!

[idb]

Or from France to New Zealand...now that would be an adventure!

Of course it couldn't be direct, that would be just silly, what with all the salty water and stuff, it would probably have to go a different way...

[FJRider]

As I recall from similar "things" happening down this way, The land owner(s) either side of the "paper road" can apply to have this status revoked.... if they can prove low volume useage of vehicles make it unviable/unlikely to be made into a formed road... hence a locked gate.

[monchopper]

As I recall from similar "things" happening down this way, The land owner(s) either side of the "paper road" can apply to hasve this status revoked.... if they can prove low volume useage of vehicles make it unviable/unlikely to be made into a formed road... hence a locked gate.

If they lock the gate then the volume of traffic is going to be low!

If there is a paper road that is over ridable terrain but is unformed. Map it out, organise 20 bikes and 10 4 wheel drives, drive/ride up and down it and form that road!!!

[XF650]

I think forestry owners & managers can be extra nervous about public access, paper road or not. Fire risk, liability for road maintanence and OSH compliance are constant issues. As well as motorbikes, they are having to contend with 4wd's, hunters, mountain bikers & trampers, often trying to follow some obscure paper road. All it takes is some idiot to ruin it for the rest of us.

And as already stated, paper roads were often drawn with little consideration to land use or contour - I'v seen one that went through a swamp and another that was washed out, requiring a loop through private land.

In my personal experience with a North Canterbury forest that's accessed by paper road, requesting vehicle access can be helped simply by asking in advance, with assurance that spark arrestors will be fitted, fire extinguisher carried, leaving gates as found and staying on the defined tracks & roads.

[monchopper]

I think forestry owners & managers can be extra nervous about public access, paper road or not. Fire risk, liability for road maintanence and OSH compliance are constant issues. As well as motorbikes, they are having to contend with 4wd's, hunters, mountain bikers & trampers, often trying to follow some obscure paper road. All it takes is some idiot to ruin it for the rest of us.

And as already stated, paper roads were often drawn with little consideration to land use or contour - I'v seen one that went through a swamp and another that was washed out, requiring a loop through private land.

In my personal experience with a North Canterbury forest that's accessed by paper road, requesting vehicle access can be helped simply by asking in advance, with assurance that spark arrestors will be fitted, fire extinguisher carried, leaving gates as found and staying on the defined tracks & roads.

Paper roads are paper roads. Requests don't have to be made, idiots are bound by the same transport laws that exist on sealed roads, although common sense could be exercised it's not a requirement (therein lies a big problem) If you deviate from the paper road you're trespassing.
If the forestry block you speak of has a paper road and a locked gate then thats illegally blocking a public road.