Little Wanganui – Wangapeka Link Route Investigation Report Prepared by Chris J. Coll Surveying Ltd for Buller District Council Little Wanganui – Wangapeka Link Route Investigation Report Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. The Impetus for a Link Road ........................................................................................................................... 1 3. Historic Tracks ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 4. Route Investigations ........................................................................................................................................... 2 4.1 The Wangapeka Track and Low-level Route..................................................................................... 2 4.2 The Routes of Dobson, Jennings, Campbell et al. ............................................................................. 3 4.3 The Saxon Route ........................................................................................................................................... 3 4.4 Simulation ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 5. Relevant Land Tenure States .......................................................................................................................... 4 5.1 Legal Roads ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 5.2 Kahurangi National Park ........................................................................................................................... 4 5.2.1 Wangapeka Track ..................................................................................................................... 4 5.2.2 Heaphy Track .............................................................................................................................. 5 5.3 Mokihinui River Catchment Addition .................................................................................................. 5 6. Construction of the Saxon Route ................................................................................................................... 5 6.1 Approximate Gradients .............................................................................................................................. 5 6.2 Extent of Disturbance ................................................................................................................................. 6 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 Appendices Appendix A - Saxon Route and Low-level Route overlaid on LINZ Topo50 topographical information ................................................................................. 8 Appendix B - Saxon Route and Low-level Route overlaid on an aerial photograph .......................................................................................................................... 9 Appendix C - S.O. 1933 prepared by Arthur Dudley Dobson ................................................................... 10 Appendix D - S.O. 2035 prepared by J. H. Jennings ...................................................................................... 11 Appendix E - S.O. 1930 prepared by Edward Campbell ............................................................................. 12 Appendix F - Photographs of archived print of Proposed Road Karamea to Wangapeka Saddle prepared by John B. Saxon ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Appendix G - Longitudinal Section of the Saxon Route ............................................................................. 16 Appendix H – Screenshots of fly-through simulation ................................................................................. 17 Appendix I - Map of Kahurangi National Park sourced from the Department of Conservation ............................................................................................ 20 Chris J. Coll Surveying Ltd | Little Wanganui – Wangapeka Link Route Investigation | November 2015 i Little Wanganui – Wangapeka Link Route Investigation Report 1. Introduction There has been significant and ongoing local interest in Buller for a legal road linking the northern Buller and Nelson regions. The economic challenges faced by the Buller (and wider West Coast) in recent times have provided an impetus to revisit this possibility and assess its viability. Local advocates comprehend the advantages and the challenges presented by such a project and have recognised that, prior to any feasibility assessment, an appropriate route must be determined. This report summarises the findings of a desktop exercise investigating a number of potential route options. A virtual “fly-through” simulation has been prepared illustrating the two most promising routes identified: a lower route generally following the present Wangapeka Track and a second route following a graded alignment proposed in 1880-90 by John B. Saxon (Appendices A and B). 2. The Impetus for a Link Road The concept of a “link road” running through the Little Wanganui and Wangapeka saddles providing a direct connection between the northern Buller/Karamea area to the Nelson/Motueka area has long been a subject of local discussion. At present, the journey from Karamea to Nelson by road is approximately 328 kilometres. The link between existing legal roads would require the construction of approximately 56 kilometres of new road and would almost halve the journey from Karamea to Nelson to approximately 169 kilometres. Decreased transport times would offer opportunities for economic growth in the agricultural and horticultural industries on the northern West Coasts via improved accessibility to markets and processors. Additionally, the northern West Coast is considered something of a “dead end” in terms of tourism with visitors to the area being required to “double-back”. A link road has the potential to invigorate the region as a whole by increasing the numbers of tourists travelling to and through the region. The consequential positive effects of a link road on the local economy are considered to be significant. 3. Historic Tracks Gold was discovered in the Wangapeka Valley around 1860 and a track between the West Coast (Little Wanganui River) and Nelson-Tapawera (Wangapeka River) was built between 1862 and Chris J. Coll Surveying Ltd | Little Wanganui – Wangapeka Link Route Investigation | November 2015 1 1899. This track was traversed by early Europeans including Dobson, Rochfort, Brunner, Saxon and Hochstetter. However, a track of some form may have been utilised even earlier by Maori travellers using it to access the West Coast from the Nelson region. By 1867, a pack horse track had been built on the Nelson side approximately 12 kilometres beyond the Rolling River junction or 1 kilometre passed Cecil Kings Hut. Pastoral lessees had grazed sheep on the Wangapeka tops from Mt Gomorrah to Mt Patriarch in the early 1900s. There have been historic graded pack tracks on both sides of the two main saddles (the Little Wanganui Saddle and the Wangapeka Saddle). On the west side, a pack horse track had been constructed to the Anaconda Mine and the Mt Zetland side of the Little Wanganui Saddle. 4. Route Investigations Research into old plans and history around the area reveals that early explorers, surveyors, miners and pastoral farmers have invested considerable energy into searching for a suitable route between Nelson and Buller. As part of this present investigation, two possible routes were considered the most promising and have been thoroughly examined: a route that predominantly follows the line of the existing Wangapeka Track referred to as the “Low-level Route” and a route traversed by John Saxon between 1880-1890 referred to as the “Saxon Route”. Foot-tracks have a greater capacity to handle steeper gradients and often follow lines between hut sites and, as such, are not always the most optimal alignments for road construction. An analysis of gradients and potential earthwork requirements indicates that currently the Saxon Route is the superior option. 4.1 The Wangapeka Track and Low-level Route The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track approximately 56 kilometres long running between the Wangapeka Road carpark at the end of the road on the West Coast (at the Little Wanganui River) to the Rolling River carpark in the Waimea Basin. In sequence, the track crosses the valleys of the Little Wanganui River, Taipo River, Karamea River and Wangapeka River and finishes at the junction of the Rolling River and the Wangapeka River. It crosses two passes at the heads of the major rivers, the first one being the Little Wanganui Saddle having an approximate elevation of 1,100 metres and the second one being the Wangapeka Saddle having an approximate elevation of 1,020 metres. There are five standard Department of Conservation huts along the main tramping track (Belltown Manunui Hut, Taipo Hut, Helicopter Flat Hut, Stone Hut and Kings Creek Hut).