Great Walks out of season

First paragraph is a misleading intro. They're leaving the avalanche prone bridges 'in' until Queens Birthday. GSTQ !.

whens Queens birthday? they have already taken the snowy creek bridge out..

Queens Birthday varies. This year june 1st. I guess it takes effect from next year ?.

The very first paragraph of the article says they are referring to the bridges on the Milford Track (where Yessica Asmin drowned) and lower down (quoted above) they mention the Routeburn, so it seems to be a Great Walk focused policy change.

perhaps it would be better for the average user if the rees dart was a 'great walk'?

It must be coincidental that @Pro-Active posted that article on the first day of the inquest for that accident. http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/68844511/inquest-into-sydney-student-yessica-asmins-death-on-milford-track.html There's some stuff in the inquest evidence about communications with DOC staff which I don't remember being described at the time.

@ Izogi - If you click your own link, about middle of that page, where it says "Read more", there's 3 more links. "* Tourist death prompts DOC change" is where I got the news that they would be leaving the bridges in place longer, wardening the huts a bit longer, and adjusting their Winter information. The first Stuff report is based on the Coroners inquest (Tuesday). NZ MSC mention an independent review. Second link mentions a DoC internal review shortly after the incident. "The DOC internal review did not comment on the circumstances of Asmin's death since the incidence was being investigated by the Coroner".

I don't know if DOC has plans for any more Great Walks down here, @Hugh. I was talking to a couple of rangers on the Greenstone earlier in the year and they were adamant there is zero plans to Great Walk-afy the Caples/Greenstone despite the millions that have spent on the upper Caples/Mckellar Saddle track realignment and the Lower Caples and Mckellar Hut upgrades. All it needs is gas and solar lighting in the (now) 3 huts of the circuit, and perhaps a bit of work on the track in the mid Greenstone (bridges, gravel, markers etc). The impression I get is DOC seems content with the 3 Great Walks and then more and more "Front Country" tracks such as the Greenstone/Caples and, up until the landslide and damming of the Dart, the Rees/Dart. The destruction of the lower Dart track might have put the breaks on it being further Front Country-afied. Much money has been spent on 25 mile Creek being bridged recently, Dart hut becoming bookable soon, and major track upgrades in the lower Dart, now destroyed.

Great walks, Front country, Serviced huts, Back country comfort seekers, .... Game of Names.