Routeburn, Milford get $14m for repairs, target summer reopening

18th May 2020 By Staff Reporter | news@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Howden Hut on the Routeburn suffered slip damage in February. Image: DOC

Repairs are expected to be completed on the Routeburn and Milford tracks in time for summer, according to the minister of conservation Eugenie Sage.

Tracks, bridges and huts were damaged by a big flood in Fiordland earlier this year, and they are being rebuilt with the help of $13.7m allocated from Budget 2020, she said.

The package is made up of $9.52m of capital expenditure, which comprises material and labour costs of replacing tracks, bridges, and huts, and $4.21m of associated operating costs for the assets repaired and replaced.

“This investment will mean iconic Great Walks such as the Routeburn track and the full length of the Milford Track should be ready to re-open in time for the summer season,” Sage said.

“The three-day storm from 4 to 6 February sparked a major rescue operation as torrential rain and slips severely damaged huts and wiped out sections of track. More than 820 mm of rain fell in Fiordland during the storm, one-tenth of the region’s average annual rainfall.

“Soon after the storm, I visited the area and saw how the extreme weather had significantly damaged more than 440 kms of walking tracks, with the Milford Track and Routeburn Tracks sustaining the most damage. Lake Howden Hut and 32 bridges were damaged, along with other huts, campsites, and facilities.”

More than one million people visit Pipopiotahi/Milford Sound a year and the Milford Track is one of New Zealand’s premier walking tracks, attracting more than 14,000 users a year.

Department of Conservation staff also used the tracks to carry out conservation work and they would restore predator trapping networks, which were also destroyed by flooding and slips.

The $13.7m funding, over four years, is contingent on an action plan being approved by the ministers of finance and conservation.

The work would involve engineering and geotech assessments, along with design work and assessing long-term options for climate change resilience and relocating assets where appropriate.

DOC aimed to have the Milford Track open this summer, as well as the Routeburn Track from end-to-end, provided its geotechnical assessment allowed for visitor safety across the storm damaged section at the Key Summit end. The geotechnical work is underway.