Tourists Still Stranded

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31278, 26 January 1967, Page 1

Tourists Still Stranded

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, January 25. The Ministry o f Works had bridged about half the 100 ft gap washed away on the Milford road by 5 p.m. today. If filling is sufficiently advanced tomorrow it is hoped those tourists stranded at Milford will be able to walk across the gap. Meanwhile workmen moved into the Milford Track in the morning to recut the track and replace many washed-out bridges. It is not expected that the track will be open again until the end of next week.

The manager of the Te Anau Hotel (Mr J. G. A. Hanraets) accompanied the Fiordland National Park chief ranger (Mr C. M. Scholfield) on the track on Tuesday to inspect the damage. On their return at night they brought out nine stranded trampers who had to catch buses on planes. The remaining members of the party of 40 which stayed at Glade House were brought to Te Anau by launch this afternoon. Walked Out

Another party, stranded at Quinton by Sunday night’s downpour, walked out to Milford today. Mr Hanraets said he did not know whether the recutting

of the track would need to be permanent, or whether the existing track would return to normal. The closing of the track until next week would force the

cancellation of parties involving at least 240 trampers, he said.

Both the Milford Hotel and camping ground are fully booked with 150 staying at the hotel. A number of those stranded at Milford are Americans who are likely to have missed overseas flights. Had To Return If the slips and the washing away of the 100 ft of road had occurred while the daily bus trips were at Milford, more than 100 more tourists would have been stranded. The buses which left Te Anau on Monday for Milford had to return when the slips were encountered. No requests have been received by tourist airlines in Invercargill or Te Anau to fly out tourists. The Ministry of Works resident engineer (Mr L. H. Spencer) said tonight that it would probably be the weekend before the road was open to vehicles at the point of reconstruction.

Workmen had their task made more difficult today by

continuous rain, but there were signs this would ease. It would be “some time” before the road would be back to its normal condition, he said.