Reefton business people are urging DOC not to scrap a $10 million road to an historic goldmine that is set to become a visitor drawcard.
The winding metal road to the old Globe Hill mine site in the Victoria Forest Park was built by Oceana Gold in 2006 to access its open-cast operation.
As part of its concession agreement with DOC, the company was bound to restore the site, build new walking and cycling tracks and close the road.
Ten years after mining ended, the restoration project — praised by DOC as world class — was almost complete.
But locals wanted the road to stay.
Café owner and tour guide, Paul Thomas, who used to manage DOC’s Reefton Visitor Centre, told the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board this week that the Globe visitor experience would be “transformational” for the town.
“Particularly the new 10 kilometres of mountain-biking track that I’d argue is probably one of the best on the West Coast.”
But the track had limitations for people with more diverse mobility needs, who had no way of getting to the Globe site — apart from the road.
“However, DOC has been difficult in its willingness to facilitate any accommodation of the road for the long-term access,” Thomas said.
“This is despite having its own policy to broaden the base of access to conservation lands, to enable a wider spectrum of people with different mobilities to access conservation lands.”
Reefton locals had set up a community trust that was willing to sustain the road for the long term, and a local contractor was waiting in the wings, Thomas said.
“We would like the road to be retained — it’s a $10m piece of infrastructure — and we would like the support of the West Coast Conservation Board to uphold and advocate… the community’s desire.”
Thomas also appealed for board support to persuade DOC to let Reefton volunteers help maintain the network of walking and cycling tracks near the town.
The tracks generated a visitor spend of up to $7m a year, he said.
But several were in a poor state of maintenance and two popular routes, Kirwans, and Lankey Creek, were closed.
“Our Reefton Globe Goldfields Trust has been set up to help resource maintenance… and we’d like to see DOC formerly collaborate and partner with our community organisations to undertake track upgrade and maintenance work.”
Reefton sports shop owner, Allie Caddie, was more blunt in his summation.
“The condition of the tracks is crap,” he told the Conservation Board.
“And as we come into winter, it will get even worse. We need more information from DOC about closures, why they’re closed and for how long.”
DOC’s Greymouth manager Chris Hickford had earlier reported to the board of “quite a lot of work” done recently on tracks in the popular Murray Creek area, just south of Reefton.
But Reefton Mountain Biking Club spokesperson Jo Newbury said, despite that, the condition of the tracks was continuing to deteriorate.
“The irony is these tracks are still promoted by DOC as key attractions, yet — in reality — many are becoming more hazardous.”
A dedicated group of local volunteers was willing, able and qualified to contribute, but they were repeatedly hindered by “bureaucracy,” Newburry told LDR.
DOC and Conservation Board chair Dr Mike Legge have been asked to respond.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
