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The implications of climate change for glacier recreation and tourism at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science (Parks, Recreation and Tourism) at Lincoln University by Jessica Hughes Hutton Lincoln University 2017 Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science. Abstract The implications of climate change for glacier recreation and tourism at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand by Jessica Hughes Hutton Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is an iconic alpine destination in New Zealand, attracting thousands of visitors annually with its wide array of recreational opportunities. In recent years, however, the many glaciers within the Park have been experiencing increasingly rapid recession. The implications of glacial recession for tourism and recreation, as well as the perspectives held by various stakeholders, has been relatively unexplored. A mixed-method approach was adopted to investigate the glacier experience from the perspectives of visitors, tourism operators and park managers, and an assessment of the effects of climate-induced changes on recreation and toursim was undertaken. Perceptions of glacier-related climate change significance and level of awareness were investigated through visitor surveys (n=400) and key informant interviews (n=12) in order to better understand the impacts on visitor experiences. Results revealed that the importance of viewing the glaciers was not a major motive for people visiting the Park, however the level of awareness around climate change and glacial recession suggests there is potential for a ‘last-chance tourism’ dimension to emerge. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate a high capacity for adaptation among key informants under current changing climatic conditions. These results are discussed in light of the implications for tourism operators and protected area managers. Keywords: Climate change, glacier tourism, glacier recreation, last-chance tourism, adpative capacity, protected area management, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand ii Preface and Acknowledgements My thanks and gratitude must go first to my wonderful supervisors, Emma Stewart and Stephen Espiner. To Emma, for your unwavering enthusiasm, for always being there for me when times were tough, and for always supporting me in my decisions. You will not be far from my thoughts when I am on the Antarctic voyage; and to Stephen, from whom I have learnt so much, for your support, guidance and light-hearted humour over the past few years. I could not have asked for a better supervision team to work alongside. You have both been very influential in my journey and have helped me pave the way for an exciting future, for which I will be forever grateful. Thank you to the staff and students in the Faculty of Environment Society and Design for your ongoing support and encouragement; I have made some life-long friendships along the way. I need to give particular thanks to Hayley Dalton for helping me out right until the very end. Also, kind thanks to Michelle Collings for your assistance with formatting. I must also thank the Department of Conservation team at Aoraki/Mount Cook for your help and support with my thesis, particularly Shirley Slatter and Ray Bellringer for always making me feel welcome. Also to those I surveyed and interviewed for this study, as none of this would be possible without you. A big thank you to my mum and dad for always being my number one fans and supporting me in everything I do; and to my brother, Jacob, for your academic support and for being beside me every step of the way. And to my ever-supportive friends for keeping me sane, listening to me when I needed to vent, and making me laugh when I needed it the most. I hope I have iii made you all proud. Finally, my acknowledgements would not feel complete if I did not mention my dog, Flick; the one who has been with me through thick and thin and never fails to put a huge smile on my face. All the people I have mentioned have helped me complete this thesis, you each hold a special place in my heart and I feel incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. iv Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................... ii Preface and Acknowledgements .................................................................................. iii Contents ...................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research objectives ..................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research contribution ................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Thesis structure ........................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review ......................................................................................... 7 2.1 Climate change, tourism and outdoor recreation ....................................................... 7 2.1.1 Climate change in alpine environments ........................................................ 12 2.1.2 Climate change and glacier tourism .............................................................. 15 2.1.3 Climate change and New Zealand glaciers .................................................... 18 2.2 Chapter summary ...................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3 Research setting – Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park ................................. 23 3.1 Historical and cultural values .................................................................................... 23 3.2 Natural and geographical resources ......................................................................... 26 3.3 Tourism and recreation history ................................................................................. 28 3.4 Management context ................................................................................................ 30 3.5 Chapter summary ...................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 4 Methods ..................................................................................................... 33 4.1 Mixed-method approach ........................................................................................... 33 4.2 Quantitative method - visitor survey ........................................................................ 33 4.2.1 Survey sites .................................................................................................... 36 4.3 Qualitative method - key informant interviews ........................................................ 43 4.4 Data analysis .............................................................................................................. 45 4.5 Limitations ................................................................................................................. 46 4.6 Chapter summary ...................................................................................................... 47 v Chapter 5 The nature of glacier tourism and recreation and the current glacier visitor experience at Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park ...................................................... 48 5.1 Visitor profile ............................................................................................................. 48 5.2 Key informant description ......................................................................................... 51 5.3 The importance of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park to key informants .............. 53 5.3.1 Emotional attachment ................................................................................... 53 5.3.2 Livelihood reliance ......................................................................................... 54 5.3.3 Cultural / historical significance .................................................................... 55 5.3.4 Visitor attraction ............................................................................................ 56 5.4 The visitor experience at Aoraki / Mount