what do people think

This issue has kept cropping up in various forms for years now. First it was a road up the Greenstone, then the gondollas in the Caples. Now this. Personally I thought the tunnel under the Routeburn should have been the one we can live with. As long as there were strict conditions during the construction phase I think this one would have had minimum impact above ground. Some people in the tourist industry want to have an alternative quicker route between Queenstown and Milford, but they are by no means unuversal in this. For example Te Anau operators have always been opposed to any change. All the options have been struck down in the early stages so far. Whether, if approved, they would get the commercial backing to get off the ground is another story.

Is a link really necessary? There's certainly an environmental case to be made for reducing the impact of 20-odd busses a day in each direction making a 400km on-way trip from Queenstown to Milford. But the case that we 'need to do something' is by no means clear cut. Assuming we decide something must be built, personally I'd be happier to accept any plan through the already highly tourist-impacted Queenstown - Glenorchy - The Key corridor, than through the tranquil and natural Snowdon Forest. The concept of allow the tourists to 'ruin' a few honeypot sites and leave the rest alone for the locals. I accept in advance the criticism that I'm being selfish.

Would i be right in saying the this is realy for the tourist operators and to cut down on fuel for buses and get even more tourists into the area.When i drive from Wanaka to TeAnau i am stuned at the number of Tourist buses on the road. The tunnel under the Routeburn sounds a good idea where was it going to start and finish. Lindsay

The plan for the tunnel was to go in just upstream from the present Routeburn road end and come out on the Hollyford rd at the bottom of Deadman's track. I had a CD with a video on it detailing the proposal, which I could probably find if I hunt around. It was going to be a private single lane one way tunnel only used by special buses which would switch over to an electric motor when in the tunnel. So the actual tunnel would be quite small. Certainly in the annimation provided in the video, you could barely see the portal through the canopy, but that was a promotional video. The biggest impact in my mind would be during the construction phase and where were they going to dump the material from the excavation. I guess somewhere on the Dart river flats would be the place, after all it is just one big gravel conveyer. The proposal was squashed by DOC because they considered it incompatable with the current Management Plan for Aspiring National Park. I was suprised at that because the Management Plan was overdue for review anyway and is being rewiewed at the present time The impact on Milford Sound itself is certainly a very relevant point in this arguement as the place it at its maximum for visitor numbers already.

I reckon a Monorail would be great, would give more people a chance to see more of the country and might even bring more tourists dollars into the country. There is a lot of wilderness area in New Zealand.

And while we are about it we should build the road from the Hollyford to Haast so that people who don't want to get out of their cars can see that country and then a motorway down the Greenstone so they can get to their beer in Queenstown quicker. While we are about it, lets build a hospital on top of Mt Aspiring so that people in wheelchairs can see the view. New Zealand is actually quite a small country and, I disagree, the pockets of remaining wilderness are quite small. I have often heard this arguement that someones elderly grandmother would love to see that country as a justification for bulldozing a road through it. The word wilderness has the word "wild" in it. That means it is wild and untamed. You go there on its own terms. There are quite a few wilderness places that I know i will never visit, but I don't want roads built in there to make it easier for me to go there. Wilderness is valuable to me and remains so, even if I am unable to visit it. Sorry about the rant.

LoL there is already a road from Haast down to Big Bay, maybe over halfway to Milford. Monorail sounds good cause then you can still walk under it, hopefully they won't demolish any huts as I am yet to visit!

I would like to see a road from Karamea to north west nelson also.

I agree with pmcke leave the wilderness alone there are enough roads to get from A to B,more rosds mean more people and more pollution