[Geoff Keey]

Developers are proposing to build a 12km road up the Caples Valley in Fiordland, linking with large terminal buildings and a Gondola that will take tourists to Milford.

This project will destroy the natural character of the Caples Valley and parts of the Greenstone track. It will also intrude into part of the Te Waipounamu World Heritage Area in Fiordland National Park.

Forest and Bird has launched a campaign to prevent the Greenstone and Caples Valleys from being spoilt.

I’m keen to gather stories from people who have walked the tracks so that others get a picture of why the two valleys are so good for tramping. We would like to be able to put the stories on the web.

See http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/conservation/gondola.asp

Cheers

Geoff

[Ruthless]

NO they cant do that!
The Greenstone & Caples are 2 magnificiant valleys that offer a fantastic round trip over 3 1/2 to 4 days that is not too strenous. There is also opportunity for harder trips that branch off the main valley tracks. All day for the duration of the trip you are surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape in NZ, huge grassy flats flanked by trees and huge mountains towering over you.
I tramped this before seing the second Lord of the rings movie & these 2 valleys were just as I imagioned (from having read the book) that the location of the plains and Tree-beard’s forest to be. In fact I would not have been supprised if we had seen Tree-beard.
One section of the track (saddle between the Greenstone & Caples valleys) crosses an ecologically sensitive area which uses board walk to avoid damage to the fragile plants which are a contrasting landscape to the valleys below. How privalaged we are to be able to observe some of these fragile areas at close range without the feeling of being on the tourist trail – which is how I would feel if there was a gondola full of people moving above.
This is an area which offers easy to access tramping & avoiding the hords of people that are on the adjacent Routeburn track. Any proposed gondola would create visual pollution & presumablly loads of people at intermediate stops. So much so that the natural drama & beauty of the area would be destoryed not to mention the risk of insensitive tourists spilling out on to fragile landscapes.
I go tramping to experience the outdoors & natural drama & beauty of what the planet has to offer, part of the attraction is to experience these areas that are untouched in the most part by people & technology, to absorb the ‘atmosphere’ of being removed from 21st century life, from the noise & visual pollution of the civilisation. In my mind the reason for going to the Greenstone-Caples would be destoried if a gondola was put in. It would be noisy & unsightly destorying the superb views & the sence of remoteness that you currently feel.
I am sure there is more to spout on about but will leave this epic at that aside to say that I would however support (seperate issue altogether) removing the grazing animals from the lower & middle parts of the valleys if there was ever a push in that direction.

Ruth

[Ruthless]

some more reading about the proposed gondola..

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3762-3164015,00.html

[shane]

Almost as scary as the Heaphy road …

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
There are a few issues at play here.

One issue that seems to be not recognised to the general public is the lack of understanding of the value of wilderness areas and the destructive impact such schemes have.

Surely the national park areas will be protected by law but what is the status of the remaining land and what consent processes would be in action?

Cheers,
Shane Connolly

[Author]

Posts