Dialogue: Natural cathedrals set to be defiled by developers

The Southern Alps and Fiordland are among the last great unspoiled temples, says FIONA McQUEEN*, so let's keep the money-changers out.

In these days of rampant commercialism, is anything stronger than the mighty dollar? Ngai Tahu and Skyline Enterprises intend to breach the pristine wilderness of the Southern Alps and Fiordland by stringing a cable-car from one hot international tourist destination and source of tourist dollars (Queenstown) to another (Milford Sound).

"And why not?" would be the corporate response. "Surely everyone would agree that the New Zealand economy is strongly reliant on tourism. What harm would a gondola do anyway? It's not as if a motorway is planned or a housing development (although come to think of it ... )"

The Ngai Tahu perspective also makes perfect corporate sense. Why have land returned under the Waitangi Tribunal if it can't be made to earn its keep? A future full of mega tourist-dollars must look rosy to many members of the tribe. Financial security and corporate backing for the foreseeable future. What could be better?

But there is another way to view this proposal. The 15km of land in question is virtually untouched. Under the guardianship of the Department of Conservation, before the transfer to Ngai Tahu, the Caples Track was built and lovingly maintained by committed conservation officers (as it still is at the time of writing).

The track provides a route for a two to three-day tramp to the head of the Caples Valley, over the McKellar Saddle and on to the Divide. Here the keen tramper can walk to the top of Key Summit, one of the highest points in the Alps and, if nature calls, can contribute to the waters of three oceans (Pacific, Tasman and Southern) according to an oft-quoted trampers' tale.

Small, well-tended huts are available for basic accommodation en route. This walk is enjoyed by thousands of New Zealanders and overseas visitors each year, people for whom the chance to breathe pure air and enjoy superlative scenery is perhaps more important than what lines their wallets.

Walking the Caples Track does not require a superhuman level of fitness, as this is one of the easier back-country tracks for those based in the city and slightly flabby for it.

The climb to the McKellar Saddle can be tough, but worth it at the top, where a spectacular vista of snowy mountains, mirrored tarns and carpets of exquisite alpine plants await. High above, the source of the Caples River cascades down from a rocky peak; the saddle in the web space between a giant's toes.

For me, the mountains provide a feeling of intense elation. For my husband, it is the rivers, the Caples and its Greenstone tributary, which hold the magic. Cold and green, the rivers are home to glorious rainbow and brown trout which can be caught and eaten by hungry trampers (as I can attest) if they care to carry the tackle and have the necessary skills (or tag along with someone who has). It makes a welcome change to pasta and freeze-dried tramping dinners.

We in New Zealand are extraordinarily fortunate to have access to this area which remains so unspoilt. Wild places are fast disappearing from the globe. A recent article in the National Geographic Traveler magazine quoted an increase in numbers of tourists worldwide: from one million in the pre-war years to more than one billion by 2010 (Italy alone receives more than a million foreign visitors weekly).

Not surprisingly, the places visited by these hordes are rapidly becoming damaged and overrun. One has only to look at places like the Greek island of Corfu, a paradise described so eloquently by Gerald Durrell (My Family and Other Animals) 30 years ago. Now, in the tourist season, the crowds make it a place to avoid. Even the wilderness of the Himalayas and Everest itself is being spoiled by the impact of too many humans and the detritus they leave.

Many natural beauty spots have been manipulated to allow maximum profit for developers. On a visit to the Austrian Alps, I was dismayed to find every alp either disfigured by an ugly gash through its forested slopes, making a piste for the ski-season, or strung from bottom to top with the black lines and gaudy beads of a cable-car.

The corporate message on the Caples gondola will be "minimal environmental impact." Don't be fooled. The road will cut through native beech forest which lines the sides of the valley and silt will clog the river, killing the fish. Humming pylons will stride arrogantly over the saddle and metal cars will clank over pulleys, shattering the crystalline peace of the mountains.

Of course, the tourists inside will be treated to a spectacular view that they may treasure for the rest of their lives. Or will some be playing with their Gameboys or taking advantage of the elevation to check the futures market on their mobile phones?

The Maori name for the Southern Alps is "Te maunga o te tapu nui," loosely meaning "the Great Sacred Mountain Range." This is an area which should be held as sacred by Maori and Pakeha alike, a place of stunning natural beauty where the harried modern soul may find peace and perhaps spiritual renewal.

We in New Zealand may not have the great cathedrals of Europe to visit, but the peaks and valleys of the Southern Alps and Fiordland, in all their spectacle and secluded splendour, are places where God (or gods) can be felt.

If we sacrifice this treasure to greedy corporate fingers, how could such a loss be explained to future generations? And what would be next? A fast-food chain across the Remarkables? A bar on Mitre Peak?

Are we going to let the money-changers into the temples?

I hope that New Zealanders will take action to stop this iniquitous gondola "development" before it is too late.

* Dr Fiona McQueen is an Auckland rheumatologist and a South Island tramper.