Current Track Maintenance:

04/05/06 and more on Local Tracks:  Baton, Ellis, Loveridge, and Pearse tracks have all had maintenance work done recently but the Mid-Wairoa track is reported to be in need of major maintenance

09/09/05 Local Tracks-

Hori Bay Road is closed from Monday to Friday until 19th December 2005 due to logging.

Walking access into the Right Branch Wairoa track via Bull Creek Road and Cedar Creek Road will be closed for the next 6 months while contractors are logging in the area.

09/09/05 Wangapeka-

The start of the Wangapeka Track has been reformed along the north side of the Little Wanganui River. There is no longer a river crossing required at this point. A new bridge has been installed to cross Tangent Creek and the track has been rerouted.

10/03/05 Clarence Reserve-

Clarence Conservation Area-
Doc is working towards opening up the Clarence Reserve and facilitating a wide variety of recreation. They have put out a discussion document and ask for input from the Club. As usual the time frame is tight and submissions are due by 15th April.
Their discussion document is divided into providing liberal access for-
1. Trampers and climbers
2. Mountain biking
3. 4wd vehicles and motor bikes
4. Rafting and canoeing
5. Fishing
6. Horseback riding
7. Hunting
8. Helicopters
This is a huge and remote recreational facility with some tracks and a network of small huts but without major ecological values. It is mostly extremely steep and barren mountains, tussock flats, briar and a very nice river, all bordering on the southern flank of Molesworth. The only access is a narrow winding dirt road leading over a 3500ft saddle, with perilous drops, then diving down to a long approach to the flats via a stream. I can see no problems with any of the above access groups except, marginally with helicopters, and more so with 4wds and motor bikes. Historically many of us have witnessed 4wds purposefully turning pristine tussock flats into permanent bogs and also have had to get off the road to allow them to pass at high speed. 4wd Clubs are the worst offenders. The mind boggles at the thought of unrestricted 4wds and motor bikes getting mixed up with trampers and mountain bikes on what is a potentially very perilous road. I feel that we should recommend that 4wd access be restricted to concessionaires and to organised groups who apply for a one off permit each time. They can then be closely monitored by Doc. I feel it is no place for motor bikes.
Your input please.  Please phone the Secretary or buttonhole any committee member.

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22/12/04 Avalanche! the track below Upper Travers has been re-routed around major damage.  And an avalanche crossed Hopeless Creek and came within 40m of the hut recently!

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24/02/04 Molesworth Station has become a High Country Park! New Zealand's largest farm will be permanently protected as a unique high country park effective July 2005.  Molesworth Station in South Marlborough spans an area the size of Stewart Island.  The station covers more than 180,000 hectares of mountains, rivers, wetlands, lakes and tussock grasslands.  About 7000 cattle graze on about a third of the station, which has been administered by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) as a Crown special lease and which will probably continue.  The station will be declared a reserve and more conservation, recreation and historic heritage preservation will be integrated alongside the existing farming operation. Molesworth is an extraordinary area for recreation offering opportunities for walking, mountain biking, trout fishing, tramping and horse trekking.  Currently, less than fifteen per cent of the station is permanently open to the public.  It is expected that under DOC management access will increase where it is compatible with farming.  About 47,000 hectares of Molesworth will be designated as conservation zones immediately, and DOC will step-up an intensive programme of pest and weed control to restore them.

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19/11/03  Rainbow Valley Access  past the Six Mile gate off season has to be now arranged by phoning the Rainbow Station manager, David McEwan  (521 1838). The trip leader must arrange for all vehicles to arrive at the farm house at the stated time and each driver is then required to sign an indemnity form and pay $20 per vehicle ($10 per mountain bike) to the manager who will provide the key.  Remember to leave all gates as you found them and return the key on the way out. Note: if you have to cancel the trip please advise the manager as a matter of courtesy.  In season December to February the gate at the old Rainbow Homestead will be manned as usual and $20 per vehicle payable + signing the indemnity form.

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10/07/03 Volunteer work for Doc may be discouraged in future because recent ACC legislation makes employers such as Doc liable for accidents to volunteers as well as their employees.  Nothing to stop you pulling out a few wilding pines on your next tramp though!

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24/10/04 Hut and Track Review 2004 - Summary of Decisions

In general, the WTC can be very pleased with the final decisions of the Nelson/Marlborough Doc Conservancy (Brendan Clough) on the Hut and Track review.  In response to ours and other submissions they have back-tracked in about 95% of cases and there is now much more emphasis on preserving the back country huts and tracks for NZ trampers rather than tourist development.  The full report is at http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/DOC-Recreation-Opportunities-Review/My-Favourite-Place/index.asp  but to summarise the more controversial aspects of the original proposals have been dealt with as follows-

1. Anatoki, Riordans and Waingaro Huts:  decision is to maintain
2. Mt Stevens Track: maintain
3. Chaffeys and Tent Camp: maintain;  Cobb Hut and Myttons: retain; Trilobite: replace upstream at the end of its life
4. Moa Park and Holyoakes Clearing: retain as day shelters
5. Adelaide Tarn and Lonely Lake Huts: retain
6. Leslie-Karamea Track: replace Venus with a bigger hut at Thor and upgrade Crow Hut for fishermen
7. Rolling Junction: replace with a day shelter back down the road
8. Wangapeka Track: retain huts as is
9. Granity Pass:  bigger hut and better tent sites
10. Flora: replace with a day shelter at the end of its life
11. Clarence Reserve at Kaikoura: develop as a multi-recreational area
12. Matiri Plateau; remove Poor Petes Hut but replace Larrikins with a bigger hut and upgrade the track
13. Leatham: maintain the cable way
14. Nelson Lakes: upgrade Coldwater Hut, rationalise the three shelters on Mt Robert, retain Hopeless Hut as long as possible
15. Pine Valley: we supported an extensive upgrade but this has been downgraded to maintain as is because locals fear that boy racers would take over this family area if it is upgraded

Much has been made in the press about 627kms of new track and replacing of huts.  Examination of the proposals indicate that much of this will be tied up in additions and alterations to tourist tracks in the North Island.  In the Nelson/Marlborough area the only new track will be on the relatively inaccessible Blumine Island in the Sounds.  On the West Coast there has been a welcome reversal of the wholesale closure of huts and tracks originally proposed and in fact there will be some interesting new areas opening up including Crooked River and the heads of the Doubtful and Hope Valleys.  Nothing much happening in Canterbury or Southland but the High Country Tenure Review is opening up a number of high country tracks in Otago and there will be all weather access and a new extra hut servicing the Gillespie Pass route.

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