Contractors doing blasting work have inadvertently triggered a rockfall at one of the country's top scenic wilderness spots.
The slip happened yesterday during construction of a new swingbridge and Department of Conservation (DOC) walkway at the Blue Pools, near Makarora, north of Wanaka, the Otago Daily Times reported.
About 200 cubic metres of rock and several beech trees came down from a steep face with the slip, said DOC Wanaka area manager Paul Hellebrekers.
The slip, opposite the viewing platform, would not diminish the Blue Pools attraction, he said.
The slip had been "sitting there" waiting to happen as the a rea was unstable, with the massive landslip in the north branch of the Young River not very far away.
