Huka Falls ‘often stinking mess’

Press, 3 April 1989, Page 9

Huka Falls ‘often stinking mess’

PA Auckland The Huka Falls, one of New Zealand’s most spectacular tourist and suicide spots, is an often stinking mess offering a great view, the country’s worst public toilets and little else, said a tourism industry leader, Mr Simon Dickie. Yet he said bureaucracy was blocking attempts by his company, Stars Corp., to clean up the falls, provide facilities and install a unique tourist attraction — after more than two years and $50,000 planning, research and surveys. Mr Dickie, the gold medal-winning New Zealand rowing eights cox at the Munich Olympics, said

his company planned to use a 50-passenger semisubmersible vessel to take tourists right under the thundering waterfall. The plan suited the purpose of the Wairakei Tourist Park, a 2000 ha tract of Governmentowned land set aside for the development of tourist attractions.

Already there are the Wairakei hotel and golf course, thermal valley and riding school alongside commercial activities such as the thermal power plant, a prawn farm and logging. Mr Dickie said Stars wanted to clean up the parking, picnic and viewing area on the banks of the Waikato River at \ ... ...

Wairakei. “There is no real reading there, just broken tarseal,” he said. "Rubbish receptacles are stinking 44-gallon drums, often with maggots crawling around them. The toilets are the worst in New Zealand and there is' nothing to see or do other than look at the falls.”

The company went to the park’s committee in 1987 and offered to do landscaping and reading, and build a visitors’ information centre which also provided refreshments.

The company also offered to install toilets. The committee said there were “many sensi-

tivities involved with the Huka Falls,” Mr Dickie said.

“Yet this is an area desperate for tourism investment. We have a wonderful infrastructure here in the Taupo district and wonderful natural assets.

“The problem is, there’s nothing to do. A nice viewing area and the semi-submersible would help change that.”

The park committee chairman, Mr Ted Fraser, said he agreed there was a need to “do up” the Huka Falls viewing area and he understood Mr Dickie’s concern.

“We have worked very closely with Simon and had an agreement that no-.

one else would be given a concession at the falls until Stars had worked out a proposal. They did that and we are happy with the concept.”

The company had sought approval to proceed “and, as it is public land, we needed to check with the Government.”

“The Minister said more public debate was needed and companies should be asked for other proposals, concepts .which might suit the area better than Stars.

"There is no suggestion that some other company might be able to take Simon’s proposal and design,” Mr Fraser said. A - -