Experienced climber urges delay for crossing upgrade
An experienced climber has spoken out against the planned $3.4 million upgrade of a popular tramping track on Mt Taranaki, saying it should be postponed until dangerous rock slides are fixed and a safer route selected.
The Pouakai Crossing has been earmarked to become a ‘‘premier day walk experience’’ after travel guide Lonely Planet called it an ‘‘unmissable experience’’ and equal to the Tongariro Crossing.
A 1.5 kilometre section of the
19km track between North Egmont Visitor Centre and Holly Hut is closed because of a massive
500 square metre rockfall near the Hidden Valley that came down during Cyclone Gita in February.
Heavy rain had also made a
600 metre section of the track, near Boomerang Slip, precarious for trampers to negotiate.
More large house-sized boulders sitting above the track could dislodge and pose further risk for trampers.
Safety warnings are in place from the Department of Conservation staff alerting trampers of the dangers of rockfall in the unstable area, and a diversion is in place for trampers to avoid the Hidden Valley slip.
Experienced climber Ian McAlpine said the slips presented a ‘‘huge headache’’ for the department as it planned the track upgrade.
The 2518m high volcano is at the ‘‘stage of decay when it is in a state of collapse’’, he said.
‘‘The Pouakai Crossing trek is turning out to be a huge headache as Mt Taranaki is in its former glory and is a rotten piece of rock eroding down,’’ he said.
A geotechnical report commissioned by DOC in May showed the slips would become more commonplace in future and continue to destroy other sections of the track, he said.
The report highlighted ‘‘partially dislocated large blocks’’, and boulders ‘‘sitting precariously’’ above the track which could ‘‘potentially move’’.
Trampers would not be able to move quickly enough to avoid being hit if they were in the area when another rockfall occurred, it said.
It listed a number of options to mitigate the risk, including closing the track during heavy rain, bridging or fencing off hazards, or building an alternative route.
Explosives, or water sluicing, could be used to dislodge the worst boulders, or installing monitoring equipment to give early warnings of rockfall.
A new track section, either above, or below the existing track, may still be subject to risk of slips near bluffs, alpine conditions and avalanches, and unsuitable for inexperienced trampers, the report said.
McAlpine said the report highlighted risks and options to re-route the track but there was always potential for other slips to occur elsewhere.
‘‘When humans try to fight mother nature such as a volcano coming down . . . man can throw dollars at this sort of project but who is really going to win?
‘‘The mountain is not for you or against you. But it will get you every time.’’
DOC New Plymouth operations manager Gareth Hopkins said the project was focused on gathering data to ensure any proposed solution was well informed.
‘‘No information we currently have is suggesting we should abandon the route,’’ he said.
The planning stage would take a year and drone surveys and geotech assessments were being made of the current and possible track alignments.
Results would be used to take into account visitor safety and experience, cultural and biodiversity impacts, and longterm track resilience.
An onsite assessment will be undertaken soon to confirm track access for the coming summer.
Hopkins said any assessment costs would not draw on the $3.4m funding earmarked for the longterm Pouakai Crossing upgrade.
Guide Rob Needs, of Taranaki Mountain Shuttles, said there was always a danger of rocks falling on the Pouakai Crossing route.
The recent slip was young geologically and more active, he said.
Needs said there had been positive feedback from groups walking the alternative Kokowai Track route.
‘‘There is more climbing because you start lower and that increases the challenge,’’ he said.
The route, which added 30 minutes to 1 hour to the journey, did not detract from not being able to do the full Pouakai Crossing, he said.
New Plymouth Tramping Club president Kevin Curd said the delay in making a decision on the track was concerning for club members.
‘‘Twelve months is a long time to have the track assessed.’’
The erosive nature of the mountain had already closed tracks on the western side from Stony River to Holly Hut, he said.
‘‘The mountain is crumbling away through erosion but there are still some fabulous places to walk where you will never see anyone.’’
Both Needs and Curd had heard of trampers ignoring the danger signs and walking across the Hidden Valley slip.