Plans for Stewart Is. wilderness area

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 14

Plans for Stewart Is. wilderness area

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington Proposals to develop Island Hill, a remote area on the south-west coast of Stewart Island, as a wilderness recreation area are being considered by the Government. A discussion paper by the Lands and Survey Department lists as recreational options kiwi-spotting, camera safaris, and extended camping holidays for the Island Hill Crown land management area. This 10,171 ha area is between Mason Bay and Freshwater River, about 25km south-west of the main settlement at Halfmoon Bay. The area was leased for

pastoral farming from 1888 until mid-1984, when the lessee offered the remaining private interest back to the Crown. It was used mainly for grazing sheep, with periodic controlled burningoff of limited areas. The purchase agreement will end all private interest in the area by mid-1986. The department said the vegetation of the area was a mosaic of red tussock grassland, red tussock-manuka shrubland, marsh and swamp, with a remnant forest on Island Hill. The area was also the home of a number of rare plant species. Although the area had not been surveyed fully, it was known to have a high bird

population, including the South Island kiwi. There was scope for increased recreational use of the area by trampers, family groups seeking camping sites for extended stays, recreational hunters, and visitors interested in photography, natural history, and beachcombing, the department said. Recreational hunting would not be allowed until April 1, 1986. It might have to be restricted during the main holiday periods, but the department said there might be considerable scope outside these times. Access to Island Hill can be by plane from Halfmoon Bay, Te Anau or Queenstown, or by boat from Halfmoon Bay, or on foot.