A petition with more than 2200 signatures shows there is growing concern about losing an historical link to the Hollyford Track and Martins Bay.

Jules Tapper ONZM, whose name is linked to establishing the guided tours on the Hollyford Track and the tourist aviation industry in the region in the 1960s, launched the petition calling on the Southland District Council (SDC) to reinstate the road in the lower Hollyford Valley, which was closed after parts of the road were washed away in massive flooding in Fiordland in February this year.

Previously, SDC in conjunction with New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) and Department of Conservation (DOC) indicated that no decisions about the road had been made, and in an earlier report, cited health and safety issues with the unstable alpine environment above the damaged road as the main reason for keeping the road closed.

However, many supporters of the road’s reinstatement consider the reported risk is simply a veil to hide behind, and say they have real concerns that the true intent is to de-establish the road altogether.

Mr Tapper said the Hollyford Road road was currently in jeopardy of neglect, and repair operations needed to start soon so that visitors, and especially the guided tours, could access the area before the summer season. 

“Contrary to some comments that I have heard associated with the area’s roading that this is "a road to nowhere" I would suggest that this shows either indifference or ignorance to the fact that this access route is part of the important visitor infrastructure access to the area.”

He said the air strip in the area, which was also damaged in the flood event, needed to be reinstated as well.

Originally formed for the venison industry in the early 1960s, the Hollyford Airstrip was the only airstrip west of the Divide and was nowadays used for flying tourists and residents to Martins Bay and, along with being an emergency landing strip for aircraft that sometimes encounter problems with no way over the mountains, it had also been in constant use to transport workers and material for DOC and useful for police air search and rescue, Mr Tapper said.

SDC Mayor Gary Tong said he totally understood and respected the concerns.

He had been made well aware by a large number of people contacting him personally, and said a meeting of the major stakeholders was planned for September 24, where the state and future of the road would be discussed.

“This is the first opportunity for all concerned to get together because of the COVID-19 restrictions and other more pressing priorities”.

The issue of how the cost of reinstating the road would be met would be a major deciding point, along with deciding if its future maintenance was likely to be a priority for ratepayer funding.

“I’ve got to be honest, it’s not a priority (for ratepayer funding) at the moment compared with what’s going on everywhere else in the district.”

And, Mr Tong said, some things looked to be irreversible, such as access to the river for jet-boaters.

Even if you could get access for a vehicle and trailer, actually being able to navigate the river had been lost due to the large boulders strewn onto the river bed during the February flood event, he said.

Concessionaires using the Hollyford Valley have little option about accessing the track, and track walkers are now required to walk the length of the 16km road to get to the track where they previously they would normally have regular bus transport to the road end.

Trips n Tramps owner Steve Norris said, while his business had already been impacted by the lack of access, they would not feel the full impact until the summer walking season got underway.

He said right now, they could only drive just one kilometre onto the road from the Marian Corner on State Highway 94, and if the road was not reinstated, that would have a big impact on walkers wanting to get dropped off to the track.

The operator of Hollyford Track Guided Walk, Ngai Tahu Holdings, was also approached for comment. Ngai Tahu Holdings chief executive Mike Pohio said Ngai Tahu fully supported the New Zealand Transport Agency and Southland District Council reinstating the Hollyford Road "as a key part of their roading network and responsibilities".

The online petition can be FOUND HERE.