49,000 Visit Arthur’s Pass National Park

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31057, 12 May 1966, Page 24

49,000 Visit Arthur’s Pass National Park

An estimated 49,000 people visited the Arthur’s Pass National Park during the year ended March 31, said the chairman of the park board (Mr N. S. Coad) in his report to the annual board meeting yesterday.

“This has been a year of intensive use of the park,” Mr Coad said. “There has been a marked increase of interest in climbing, tramping, camping, club outings, and picnicking.” In past years there had been a tapering-off during the February-March and Septem-ber-October periods, but last year the distribution of visitors was even throughout. About 13,000 people visited the park headquarters and alpine museum. 5060 signing the visitors’ book. Regular programmes of walks and talks were given during holiday periods and on request. Altogether, there were 49 sessions, attended by 2464. More day visitors had come to the park from Westland. Most of them picnicked in the lower part of the Otira Valley, and the establishment of a ranger station in that area was being considered. Behaviour Good “The general behaviour of visitors was good and apart from the odd case of picking wild flowers and taking small shrubs and plants no offences were reported,” Mr Coad said. “A host of developed and undeveloped picnic areas along the highway and access roads off the highway were well used. The demand is growing. More picnic areas will be developed, but the board is not unmindful of the need to leave large areas in their natural state to enable visitors to enjoy the freedom of wide open spaces.” There had been a noticeable increase in the demand for camp sites, particularly in and around the township. All club huts in the township Were in good order, and outlying ones were in “reasonable condition.” However, most of the park board’s huts were in very poor condition, and the board intended to replace them

gradually with attractive, well-constructed huts. Reporting on work done during the year, Mr Coad said the township shelter had been designed and built by park staff, and foundations for a public shelter at the Andrews Stream and for a staff house in the township were laid. Huts, tracks, bridges and signposts had been maintained. The new Punchbowl and Bealey footbridges had been completed, and a footbridge had been built at the start of the Andrews track. Preparation of a footbridge in the upper Otira Valley had begun. Tracks near the were in good repair, but still needed considerable improvement, and outlying ones required attention. As many as possible would be re-cut and marked during the year. A new track-line into Sudden Valley, above Barrier Falls,

had been surveyed and would be cut as soon as possible. “The Morrison memorial cableway is completed except for some minor modifications. A ceremony is being arranged by the mountain clubs to officially hand the cableway over to the board. The weather was not kind to the volunteers who built it and their work, which v,_s done with much discomfort, is all the more praiseworthy,” he said.

Mr Coad said a full programme of park maintenance and services at the headquarters was planned. Tent and caravan sites were to be prepared at Rough Creek and a public shelter would be built at Kelly’s Creek. Radios for use in emergencies and routine park control had been ordered and should be installed before the summer season.