Lake at risk from road

Alternative route to Bulli Pt would cost but what price do we put on Lake Taupō ?

GEverything from rat poison to diesel has ended up in the Pacific Ocean, creating headaches for the regional council there.

iven the sheer volume of freight being transported by road along the east coast of Lake Taupō , it seems only a matter of time before something nasty ends up in the crystal clear water.

Quite by coincidence we were discussing this while driving down to Tū rangi on Saturday to walk the Tongariro River Trail, following a line of trucks and cars around Bulli Point.

Is there a more windy stretch of road on State Highway 1 than this? Having lived in Kaikoura for a year, it didn’t take long to remember that, indeed, there is a more narrow and windy stretch than this, or at least a longer stretch of the same sort of thing. The constraints are the same — steep terrain hard up against the coast and a road forced to work its way precariously along the edge.

However, while it’s hard to see a way around the Seaward Kaikoura Range, there is an alternative when it comes to Lake Taupō , although granted it would be a big project.

There have been quite a few mishaps and tragedies at Bulli Point over the years but the longer stretch of coastal highway along Kaikoura has shown just what kinds of things will eventually end up in the drink. Everything from rat poison to diesel has ended up in the Pacific Ocean, creating headaches for the regional council there.

The difference is that the energy of the ocean more effectively disperses most kinds of pollution, whereas the fresh waters of Taupō would not be so forgiving.

It will come down to the price that the Government is prepared to put on the environment, and what is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of this country’s freshwater assets.

Calculations based purely around death, injury and inconvenience obviously don’t stack up when it comes to this project. That’s just the harsh reality when it comes to prioritising road projects in New Zealand.

But what price do we put on Lake Taupō ?