Slip cuts part of Great Walk

A slip has closed the new Paparoa Track before it is officially opened.

The Department of Conservation says the official opening of the new Paparoa Track will go ahead as planned with a special ceremony in Blackball on November 30 despite a slip closing the middle section of the track.

The track will be partially open from December 1 for walkers and bikers who have already booked, but a 20 metre-long ‘‘difficult to fix’’ slip means the middle section of the track will be closed until repairs can be made.

Mark Davies, the Western South Island operations director for the Department of Conservation, said the aim was to have the track fully open on December 22 but that would depend on the weather.

Davies said it was disappointing not to have the full track available. Wild weather causing slips on tracks was relatively common across the West Coast,especially in spring.

‘‘We are regularly undertaking repair work to tracks and structures on walks throughout New Zealand. It is just bad luck that we’ve had this happen right before opening.’’

A Geotech inspection had confirmed that the track had slumped down to bedrock. The section of affected track is 20m long, and because of its location on a very steep side slope it will be difficult to fix – requiring re-benching and re-surfacing.

He said 944 people had booked with 177 groups on the Paparoa Track during December.

‘‘We are giving all of them a full refund while offering them the opportunity to walk or cycle part of the track at either end. This recognises the cost and inconvenience they face because of the disruption. For those already booked, the track will be open from both ends for overnight trips into either the Moonlight Tops or Pororari Huts.

‘‘DOC appreciates that for some visitors it may be difficult to change their travel plans at this late stage, so we wanted to enable them to experience some of New Zealand’s newest Great Walk,’’ he said.

The $12 million track has been built by DOC on behalf of the NZ Government at the request of the Pike River families.