The Cathedral Cove scandal

Radio NZ reports:

The Department of Conservation has conceded there is no guarantee a walkway to Cathedral Cove will ever reopen but expects to know what may be possible by the middle of the year.

The walking track to the popular Coromandel tourist destination was closed in February 2023 after it was badly damaged in extreme weather, including Cyclone Gabrielle.

Over the next few months the Department of Conservation (DOC) will consult on options for a resilient safe track.

I was unaware until recently that the track to Cathedral Cove has been closed for a year. That’s bad enough, but DOC are now saying that they won’t even make a decision on how to proceed until September this year – almost two years after the weather damage.

Cathedral Cove is an iconic destination for New Zealanders and tourists. Having it inaccessible by land for years while DOC dithers should not be acceptable. A reasonable time-frame would be decide on how to best repair it within say three to six months and get it reopened within nine to 12 months max.

But now we are facing it being closed for years, if not indefinitely. This is devastating to local businesses and the community, let alone all those who now can’t get to go there.

The core business of DOC is repairing tracks. It shouldn’t need three lots of consultants reports.

The land was donated to the Crown so that it would be open for public access. DOC’s job is to facilitate that access, not block it. It is ridiculous that they need 18 months just to make a decision.

This is a good opportunity for the new Government to show they are a Government of making things happen, rather than endless discussion. They should press for the track to be re-opened by next summer at the very very latest.