Wanaka rallies in gigatown race Gigatown Wanaka is currently sitting in second place, after leading the Chorus competition from the start. Despite being knocked off the top spot, losing ground to Timaru and Dunedin early this week. Gigatown Wanaka supporters have rallied. PAGE 2
National fund for tracks and huts The New Zealand Outdoor Recreation Consortium has received a $700,000 grant from the Government, which will go toward new tracks and building and maintaining backcountry huts. PAGE 2 THUR 07.08.14 - WED 13.08.14
WANAKA’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
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The annual ItMount Aspiring your College polarChildren’s plunge took place was Decorate BikeYear day13 for charity Montessori House on Tuesday, and withHoly students donating a gold coin to this year’s beneficiary, the Family School children on Tuesday. Montessori Westpac Chopper Appeal. The7students wore wetsuits, swimsuits, boardies children and Year and 8 students from Holy Family School or costumes, withpictured one of with the boys, who had and just parents turned 18, wearing were their teachers at the event dress at pants, a jacket and a waistcoat into the water. the Holy Family School courts. Year 13 Dean Joss Walker said it was the first time in the polar plunge’s nineyear history that the wharf had been under water for the event, but it wasn’t as cold as previous years. “There was great participation from the students,” she said.
Ramsden wins national award PAGE 5
Auction in 11th year PAGE 7 PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Twenty new tracks opening to public Jessica Maddock Wanaka Sun
Famous Maori artist visiting PAGE 9
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN The first round of the Gigatown competition closes in...
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WEEKS gigatownwanaka.co.nz supported by:
About 20 tracks totalling more than 130km are to be opened to the public, across four high country stations between Lake Wanaka and Arrowtown. The properties – Motatapu, Mount Soho, Glencoe and Coronet Peak stations – are owned by high-profile record producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, the former husband of Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust and a company linked to Mutt Lange, Soho Properties Limited, announced in Arrowtown this week 95 percent of the stations – or 53,000ha – would be
protected in perpetuity by covenants. The trust’s chief executive, Mike Jebson, said the covenants meant a network of 20 or 21 tracks criss-crossing the stations would become public. Four of the tracks would be new and paid for by Soho Properties, and the rest were existing tracks which would be opened for public use permanently. Among the four new tracks would be a three-day walk from the back of Coronet Peak to the Macetown area, Mike Jebson said. The remaining five percent of the four properties was on Motatapu Station, at the head of the Motatapu Valley, where Mutt Lange’s house was located. This area would continue to be farmed.
This meant there would be no direct access from Wanaka to the new tracks. The main access would be from Arrowtown and Skippers Canyon. However, Mike said people would be able to access the tracks from Cardrona - just south of the Cardrona Alpine Resort access road, or from the ski field’s car park in summer. Another option for accessing the tracks from the Wanaka side would be by walking about two-thirds of the three-day Motatapu Alpine Track, which was part of the North Cape to Bluff Te Araroa trail. This would take trampers from Glendhu Bay to near Macetown, where there would be connections with several
of the new tracks. These connections would enable trampers to go east to Cardrona, west to Skippers Canyon, or south, up the back of Coronet Peak and Arrowtown. The covenants meant public access to the tracks would remain, even when the Crown pastoral lease changed hands. As well as walking tracks, there would be mountain-biking, horse-trekking and four-wheel-drive routes. Mike said there would be tracks to suit everyone, from a busload of tourists who had stopped in Arrowtown, to backcountry adventurers. Story continues page 2...