Crossing car park open but not being used
Although the new car park built to service the hordes of tourists tramping the Taranaki Crossing was open from Christmas Day, the orange cones lining the area and bulldozers on site saw most people choosing to park on the road.
In 2016 New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) bought a 1.15 hectare section of suitable land for $225,000 at the top end of Mangorei Rd to build an off-road car park with toilet and water facilities.
The upgrade at the spot where trampers begin their journey to the popular Pouakai tarns cost $1.6 million; $709,000 from the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund and $849,000 from NPDC.
The money came from more than $4 million being invested by the Government into the Taranaki Crossing over three years.
On Boxing Day, the day after the partially open car park was made available to the public, only eight cars could be found using the facilities, with 26 cars carrying on past the entrance and choosing to park on the street.
When work started on the upgrade in October, New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom said council was getting the right infrastructure in place so both locals and tourists could continue to enjoy the great outdoors and stunning mounga.
‘‘It’s one of the reasons why we’re the lifestyle capital of New Zealand,’’ he said at the time.
‘‘Combined with the $156,000 recently announced funding from Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis for upgraded facilities at Waiwhakaiho and a new portable toilet and shower facility, there are really positive signs of central and local government partnering for the benefit of our people and to grow our tourism economy.’’
On Sunday New Plymouth i-SITE Visitor Centre posted on its Facebook page to say the area around the tarns was really fragile and urged people to stay on the boardwalk.
This comes after Department of Conservation installed a boardwalk to avoid trampling of the wetland vegetation but many picture-snapping trampers were now walking beyond the boardwalk, pitching tents, or swimming in the ankle deep tarns until the right conditions emerged to take the photograph.
The i-SITE also gave updates on other tracks on the mountain and said some people had made it to the crater rim but extreme caution was required before carrying on to the summit due to the snow and ice still on the mountain.
The landslide on the Holly Hut Track meant it was still unsafe to cross and was unlikely to reopen before March. The old Waiwhakaiho car park, now named the Pouakai Crossing car park, on Egmont Rd is open, which connects to the Kaiauai Track.
‘‘Be prepared with plenty of water (3 litres), sun protection, warm clothing and map and means of communication. Be prepared to turn back if conditions change. It’s important to start early (before 9am) so you have plenty of daylight to return down the mountain safely,’’ the post stated.
‘‘Pouakai Hut will be busy over this period – it’s a really good idea for to take a bed mat with them if they are planning on staying overnight. There is a hut warden who is going between Holly Hut and Pouakai Hut so you need to ensure you have pre-bought hut tickets.’’