DOC closing some facilities due to COVID 19

The crucial paragraph for me is: “Spending time in nature is great for our mental and physical wellbeing, and we’re still encouraging people to get out there – you just have to follow the latest advice. We recommend finding your own space outside with walks and activities that take less than a day, and avoiding activities that could leave you reliant on hut use." Lets just hope they stick to that line because I've been hearing the opinion from non-DOC people that DOC should 'lock the gates'. This thing is going to be with us for months if not years. People are going to be kicked out of their jobs, barred from their social lives separated from their wider families. They will be frustrating, tense sad times. So we have to find ways of giving people the ability to get space, exercise and some sense of peace - whilst stopping them from getting into contexts where they will be forced into risky (Covid-related) behaviour. And where better than the vast expanses of our conservation estate to find that. Fingers are very tightly crossed.

yosemite national park in the states is closed and a few others as well. ones that attract large no's of people congregating near each other. tongariro crossing would be a potential target here, at least a couple of the shuttle services to the crossing have stopped running, b but eventually they are all likely to stop running, which would drastically cut the no's there... so other popular short walks may end up getting closed, the bigger issue being the shorter walks may be gateways to longer tramps... although in the case of the crossing that means the northern circuit which has already been shut down since its a great walk.. the question will also be how do you get access to where you want to go if you dont have your own car and shuttles stop running and theres not much road traffic.. where theres a will thers a way, just depends if you have enough spare time to persist

I did here something about closures. The good thing with cllosures is you wont meet anyone else so wont break your self isolation. (unless everyone else has the same idea)

its level 3 now , DOC have closed all huts and campsites

friend of a friend was travelling to go hunting in central north island, lives northern waikato, got to taupo. police road block, checked his address and his trip purpose and told him to turn around and go home...

I would have thought hiding away in the bush somewhere was perfect self isolation. Im working from home now. Tramping club has closed for the duration. 4wd club has closed for the duration, Warehouse says they will stay open but I bet they get told to reconsider. Makes you want to go to the pub but they are closed too Who has the keys to the light switch

The trouble is with going bush there's those that would be sensible: bring enough fuel and food for the entire return trip, take a tent, go where no-one else will be. And those that would call in at shops / supermarkets in other towns on the way, fuel up, share popular huts. And we can't expect the authorities to differentiate between them. Went up the Manuherekia at the weekend and found 16 from all over Otago & Southland crammed shoulder-to-shoulder round the fire in the Homestead shelter - to give a great example. There are 2 ways we can go with Covid. We can do what Wahun did - go in fast and hard with restrictions to travel and social interaction, and have a chance of being back to at least a 'new normal' in 4-8 weeks. Or we can do what Europe has done and let it build slowly until it's beyond control - when we'll still need to restrict freedoms to keep cases below what the health service can tolerate, but we'll be looking at 18-24 months of partial lockdown instead of 4-8 weeks of total lockdown. So please lets give this approach a chance. 4-8 weeks - that's all that's being asked. If you need to go bush - and I get it - some just do - do it locally, do it privately (away from huts and people) and do it safely. My thoughts.

COVID-19: Kiwis urged to exercise in low-risk environments Media release issued by Maritime NZ on behalf of the Search and Rescue Council 24 March 2020 https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/news/media-releases-2020/20200324a.asp Stick to simple outdoor exercise, that is the message from the Chair of the Search and Rescue Council Peter Mersi. He is urging people to take only undertake activities that are of a minor risk to injury, and to avoid going into areas where you could become lost or require search and rescue. “You should not do any activities where you may unintentionally end up needing emergency services. This includes tramping, hiking into backcountry or remote areas, going boating, fishing and going swimming. Current Government advice is that you can go outside, but you need to limit your contact with others. Our emergency services need to be fully available to respond to COVID-19. Therefore, it is also vital that New Zealanders are sensible about what types of exercise they undertake and where. No-one goes into the outdoor environment intending to get lost or injured, says Peter. “We are asking New Zealanders to be sensible and to adjust the way they enjoy our outdoor environment at this time, to ensure that our emergency services are available to help those in highest need. More information can be found on the COVID-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz

Question is, will we be stopped from doing day walks on well marked tracks. I have taken the family on short bush walks every weekend (usually pack a lunch). But as I live in the suburbs, I have to drive a bit to get to some bush.