The Heaphy
The Heaphy is arguably New Zealand's premier multi-day mountain bike ride… 74 kilometres of benched singletrack winding through the backcountry from Golden Bay to Karamea and the nikau palm clad beaches of the West Coast. In 1996 North West Nelson Forest Park became Kahurangi National Park and mountain biking was no longer allowed on the Heaphy and a handful of other great tracks in the area.
Mountain Bike NZ has long campaigned to regain access to these tracks. A major milestone was achieved in 2005 when the NZ Conservation Authority released the General Policy for National Parks - which now allows for mountain biking on selected tracks in National Parks.
The NZCA's decision is backed by an overwhelming majority of submitters to the Draft General Policy for National Parks. Of the 1305 submissions received, 1106 supported the change while just 22 opposed. Supporting organisations included Federated Mountain Clubs; SPARC; the Nelson/Marlborough, West Coast, Waikato and Southland Conservation Boards; the Tasman, Buller and Nelson Councils; the Golden Bay, Motueka and Waimea Tramping Clubs; NZ Alpine Club; and Mountain Bike NZ.
But mountain biking is still banned until, and unless, the Kahurangi National Park Management Plan is modified. In the meantime DOC have put bylaws in place to enforce the existing Plan, allowing them to prosecute riders sneaking onto the Heaphy.
In July 2009 the Department of Conservation released its Draft Partial Review of the Kahurangi National Park Management Plan. The Plan proposes to trial seasonal access for mountain bikes on the Heaphy from 1 May to 1 October each year. It also proposes year round mountain biking on the Kill Devil and Flora-Saddle-Barron Flat tracks.
This is great news and the 'rules of engagement' detailed in the plan are consistent with what Mountain Bike NZ has lobbied for over the past 15 years.
The Cycleway Project led by our Prime Minister and vocal support for bikes on the Heaphy from Nelson MP Nick Smith all add political clout. But there are plenty of individuals and groups who oppose the change. So it's vital that mountain bikers and others who support seasonal access to the Heaphy make submissions in quantity and quality.
Click here to download MTBNZ's standard template.
You can also view the full Draft Partial Review of the Kahurangi National Park and make an online submission from DOC's website. The relevant section is 4.1A "mountain biking".
www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/consultations/current/kahurangi-national-park-management-plan-draft-partial-review
Submissions close Friday 4 September 2009
