Waka Kotahi under fire over Haast Pass closure

Workers are removing more than 20,000cu m of slip material from the Muddy Creek bridge. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZTA

A Haast tourism operator has criticised the handling of the blocked Haast Pass Highway - a “lifeline” for the community.

Wilderness Lodge co-founder Dr Gerry McSweeney said Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and its contractors seemed more interested in political point-scoring and were too slow reopening the road.

The State Highway 6 alpine pass remained closed at Muddy Creek after a slip last Thursday.

McSweeney said contractors from the West Coast had gone to the site and started work on Saturday morning - two hours before anyone from the Wānaka side of the slip arrived.

Then at 12.35pm the West Coast contractors were told to stand down.

They were told the work would be carried out by Otago operators and they were not needed.

“The Haast community is aghast,” McSweeney said.

“It is our lifeline, the start of the school holidays and the beginning of the summer season, and it is going to be blocked for a week.

“Work should be done at both ends. That way it could be done a lot quicker.

“I just do not understand it.”

He said the transport agency had been “too vague” about the road reopening and he had received inquiries from clients about whether they should cancel their trip.

The agency did not respond to Otago Daily Times questions yesterday.

The agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon it was aiming to reopen the road for a single lane of light vehicles to be escorted through at set times today.

Southland and Otago system manager Robert Choveaux said a large amount of material needed to be cleared from the site, but he was optimistic controlled access would be feasible.

“Conditions... remain dynamic, challenging and subject to change - any amount of rainfall could affect access.”

Subject to final confirmation about road access at 9am today, two light-vehicle convoys would run at noon and 4.30pm, first from the Wānaka side of the slip, then back.

Travel from Wednesday until the end of the week would be daily by escort under the same conditions, with trips planned for 8am, noon and 4.30pm.

Before yesterday’s announcement, travellers and locals showed up at the Makarora township in the hopes of being let through the roadblock just north of town.

A small group of whitebaiters from Haast arrived yesterday morning hoping the agency would arrange an escort along the route that afternoon.

Aucklanders Geoff and Chris Hawke said their plans to take a helicopter flight to Franz Josef would probably be scrapped because of the road closure.

Geoff and Chris Hawke, of Auckland, take photos in Makarora yesterday. Photo / Regan Harris

“[It’s] not so bad for us because we’re staying at Lake Hāwea and we can do other things, but I feel sorry for other people,” Chris Hawke said.

A staff member at the Wonderland Makarora Lodge said although their cafe was closed yesterday, they would consider reopening over the remainder of the week based on the amount of passing traffic.