Tracks and infrastructure on public conservation land in flood-affected areas have held up well but anyone going into the outdoors should still exercise caution and keep up to date with relevant information, the Department of Conservation (DOC) says.

DOC staff have been assessing tracks and other structures across southern South Island following last week’s storm.

So far reports for the major tracks are looking positive, but some local tracks remain closed, DOC southern South Island operations director Aaron Fleming said.

“The major impacts on many of the tracks appears to be windfall – trees and other debris covering tracks – and erosion from floodwaters.”

While people will need to take extra care when out exploring  “for the most part, many tracks are open,” he said.

Where damage is more significant, such as large washouts or bridges are down, DOC has closed tracks until repairs or remediation can take place, Aaron said.

This includes the Lake Sylvan Track near Glenorchy and the Mt Crichton Loop near Queenstown. Dore Pass carpark and Mackay Creek Campground on the Milford Road are closed due to washouts, and Freeman Burn Hut in Fiordland is closed due to the risks posed by a dam which has formed upstream of the hut.

“We’ll be updating our website as more information comes through but in the meantime, we encourage people to use extra caution when heading out,” he said.

“Rivers may still be high and land could be unstable so people should use good judgement and don’t take unnecessary risks.”

If people come across any damage or windfall they can send photos to their local DOC office. 

With significant weather events becoming more frequent due to the impacts of climate change, DOC is looking at ways to build resilience across its network of infrastructure, Aaron said.

The February 2020 storm caused significant damage to tracks, huts and bridges across Otago and Fiordland and, while DOC has made strong progress with those repairs, there’s still more to do nearly four years on.

“Repairing and replacing assets takes time and resources,” he said. “We need to ensure our assets such as tracks, bridges and huts are resilient to the impacts of climate change, and this means it’s not always about simply replacing like for like.

“We need to think differently and plan ahead.”

PHOTO: DOC