Record trampers putting pressure on DOC
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/02/record-trampers-putting-pressure-on-doc.html
Record numbers of visitors are tramping our Great Walks over the summer, and it's putting pressure on the Department of Conservation (DoC).
In Fiordland, on the remote Routeburn Track, even simple things like maintaining a toilet can get complicated.
Lake MacKenzie Hut on the Routeburn Track is one of the most remote flush toilets in the country. It's the second most popular of all the Great Walks with thousands of walkers tackling the track.
"We've got 15 tanks of sewage to come out, ten tanks from this particular hut and four from the camp site," DoC hut ranger supervisor Pania Dalley says .
A sewage disposal operation with a big price tag, requiring a chopper to lift 600 litres of human waste within the tanks.
Tourists have found the tracks to be bustling with fellow walkers. Hiker Michael Dunphy said: "It was a bit like Queen Street yesterday" and Nicola Dunphy said it's been quite noisy with some people's alarms going off at 5:30am.
The hut is at capacity from October right through to May, and that leads to an influx of day walkers who can't get a booking but still need to use a toilet.
An increase in the number of walkers has seen the amount of sewage double in the last three years, to fifteen tanks being taken out today when it used to be about eight.
Hut ranger Clive Rule has manned the MacKenzie Hut for 25 years, and he's seen bookings for the 55 beds made six months in advance.
"We are at capacity, we wouldn't want more people, I think, no," Mr Rule said.
It's a tough job to keep the balance between a clean green wilderness experience and the demand for our great outdoors.
Newshub.
44 comments
By my estimate based on what I am reading, blogs, Instagram, and personal websites, the number of different names that are continuing to pop up there is a minimum of 750 TA Walkers currently on trail. I believe that 40 have completed already. At least 20 have dropped of the regular trail as they lost incentive, got bored, or decided they would like to see more of the country beside the trail.
January saw the number of NOBO's grow. I have heard of at least 50 now at various stages of travelling north bound.
Blogs I have read mention 6 bunk huts housing 10 or 12. One 8 bunker with 15 and 3 tents outside. The weather has been abysmal and that backlogs have occurred and huts overflowed. Regular occurrence to read that people have arrived at a hut to find it full and thus walked further on to another or to somewhere that they can camp in comfort.
The reputation of the trail is growing fast. Numbers will do likewise. There could be 1200 plus maybe next year. The Tararuas will be a real bottleneck if there is poor weather and similarly there will be real pressure on facilities the entire length of the trail.
its hard to gauge how many are really on the TA, a lot are cherry picking the trail, making some sections more popular than others, theres a lot of tourists who are just walking easier to handle sections of the trail. or others going for the more scenic sections they can manage.
I've personally met at least 20 TA walkers on trails/in huts/in campsites this season.
Slightly off topic, but what do people think about trampers using huts for everything except sleeping, but not paying a cent? Was up the Nina this weekend and a couple arrived in the evening. Hut was empty apart from me and my partner, but these two pitched a tent, then came in to cook, leave packs and clothing inside, used the toilets, and only went outside to sleep. Morning was the reverse of that. To me, if you use the facilities, you need to contribute to their upkeep, even if you don't stay in the hut.
trouble is, they may have hut passes but not bother recording them if there's no warden.
good thought. A few years ago when serviced huts had gas stoves we got to Tutawai and one member of our group went in and made a brew on the free gas. I did question him on that. Of course a few years later staying in the same hut due to the number of small groups there it was just more convenient to use our own cookers.
Then this weekend at Mitre Flats a sign by the taps saying the roof has had a moss treatment and dont use the water. Thats a serviced hut that doesnt even have a water supply. Ok the Wainagwa river is nice water and gave up a very nice trout to a fisherman also staying there but even so
Off topic the trout was shared by the 13 there last night and the fisherman still had lots for breakfast this morning.
In my opinion if it is a standard or basic hut it is fine to use the facilities without paying..
If it is a serviced hut, then they should of paid a single ticket for camping beside it.
If I reached a hut at lunch time, more often than not I would stop for half a hour and cook a meal inside the hut... Have not once thought about paying.
I'm normally the same, stopping for lunch at a hut. I think it's a bit different when you camp outside but store everything inside and use the facilities as long as you are there. It also doesn't make sense to me that we charge to camp at our big serviced huts, but the smaller, less travelled huts that pose a smaller return for DoC are free to camp beside - you would expect a nominal fee at least, maybe they could consider doing it as $2 per person on a tent ticket (like a hut ticket but cheaper?)
"To me, if you use the facilities, you need to contribute to their upkeep, even if you don't stay in the hut"
This thought has been expressed a few times in the recent past - just to be clear about it, (excluding Great Walks and other booked huts), DOC charge 1 ticket to camp beside a serviced hut (and use it's facilities) and no charge to camp beside a standard hut (and use it's facilities). Obviously, no charge for a biv, either.
Whether or not that is reasonable is another question and should probably be branched to another topic.
To me it's common sense.
If you use a bench to make a brew and some lunch, clean your mess afterwards and carry out your rubbish.
If you use the long drop so be it, better than going in the bush.
If you make a fire to dry out or warm up. Replace the wood with more and better wood than you used.
If you stay over night get a hut ticket.
The nzfs originally intended all the huts they built to be left behind as free shelters for trampers and hunters.
I think this is even recorded (I may be wrong).
I'll ask this.
Would you rather someone use a hut with a 5 dollar ticket, then they use up all the wood, leave rubbish in the fire or bucket, leave an empty gas canister and food scraps on the bench.
Or someone not buy a ticket, spend the afternoon stocking the wood shed. Scrubs the place up and carries out others rubbish?
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| Forum | The campfire |
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| Started by | waynowski |
| On | 3 February 2017 |
| Replies | 43 |
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