minister-visits-site-of-proposed-milford-tunnel

[wayno]

http://doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media ... rd-tunnel/

if the tunnel is built it will effectively route thousands of passengers a day on buses through the tunnel which will begin right next to the entrance to the routeburn track. the sound of buses may echo up the routeburn valley along the track., the other end of the tunnel will come out onto the hollyford road.
leaching from the toxic tunnel tailings could contaminate the surrounding land in the hollyford valley and get into the hollyford river.

[forest]

Would make hitching to the Routeburn easy eh. ...
In all seriousness are these people sane. ... That rock is some of the hardest in the world, let alone the environmental issues.
Hope this goes pair shaped sooner than later

[north-north-west]

... the sound of buses may echo up the routeburn valley along the track., the other end of the tunnel will come out onto the hollyford road.
leaching from the toxic tunnel tailings could contaminate the surrounding land in the hollyford valley and get into the hollyford river.

In other words, it's almost certain to go ahead.

[wayno]

yeah well the recent ministers dish out concessions to get around the park rules like lollies....
its all about money... big money companies will throw big money at anything they think they can make more money out of.
if they were to pull off the tunnel they'd have a nice little monopoly.. the majority of people going to milford sound go in buses on day trips from queenstown.... a round trip of about 600km a fair bit on mountain roads.... and they go on boat trips on the sound when they get there, really long day, all the tourist operators would be ecstatic about cutting hours off the round trip. and the operators of the tunnel and the vehicles that go through it would have a monopoly for ever and a day amen....
another company is angling to run a monorail that takes people from a back road to north of te anau to shorten the trip as well... they have to mow down a fair bit of forest for the monorail...
then there was the time a proposal was made to run a gondola up the greenstone valley to get to milford sound, its ironical queenstown makes a killing from the regional scenery and eco tourism but the tourist operators will do anything they can get away with to make a buck or secure a monopoly...
i mean having an airfield in milford sound is the pits. the noisey racket from the piston engine planes just wreck the atmosphere. the govt have been leaning over backwards for commercial considerations, DOC advised not to allow mining on the denniston plateau because of the areas uniquiness. its the last remaining unspoilt upland sandstone area in nz... but the minister approved mining there.. the govt have dismasted doc from protesting against govt moves that may adversely affect the envirnment in the parks... hopefully the govt are screwed by the next election.. they may just be underestimating public opposition, 50,000 people marched against increased mining in national parks. damning lake manapouri was stopped by massive opposition in the 70's, but a lot of nzers today are ignorant of their environment, more aucklanders have been to aus than have been south of ruapehu's , skifields, I've met cantabrians who have never been to fiordland and some that don't know where it is.... less nzers than ever give a stuff about protecting their national parks...

[roysta]

The way I hear it, this is far from fait accompli.
So many people now realise how good Helen Clark was for the environment.
John Key and his troops are tearing DOC to pieces.
Perhaps Labor will be back in power next year and all this nonsense will end.

[roysta]

oops, that's Labour

[wayno]

labour will need a coalition to hold power.. the nats are still a lot higher in the polls. the labour leader shearer isnt as popular, labour are struggling to replace helen clark...
helen clark is a mountaineer, cross country skier, tramper, her govt built DOC up, they achieved a lot, built more huts and bridges, killed off pests in large areas. national are just taking everything apart. getting rid of as many huts as they can. cutting back saving endangered species and pest control.... national only care about making a buck...

[wayno]

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-la ... e-minister

Conservation Minister Nick Smith is under no illusion about the gravity of the decision he must make in determining whether to approve a concession application for the construction of a commercial bus tunnel through two national parks