Milford Sound sees biggest drop in DoC visitor numbers as outdoor demand cools

The Department of Conservation has released a report showing that visitor numbers have continued to drop at some of the country's most famous nature and heritage sites.

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi has been almost silent at times, seeing only 14 per cent of annual, pre-pandemic visitor numbers.

"The report shows a stark decline in visitation to some of New Zealand's most famous natural landmarks compared to pre-pandemic levels," says DoC' Heritage and Visitor Director Tim Bamford.

Apart from absent international visitors, DoC says that other disruptions lowered domestic uptake for conservation areas.

The 2021/22 Visitor Insights Report has shown that - following a boost of domestic support for backyard nature tourism during the summer and peak periods - the enthusiasm has cooled off slightly.

Campsite places are down 3 per cent on the previous year and DoC hut bookings are also down four per cent to 73,000 places. Even with the enthusiasm surrounding the 30 year anniversary of the Great Walk network, tramper numbers were down by a fifth (21 per cent) on the network.

Covid travel restrictions and infrastructure damage both put a dampener on domestic visitor numbers during the July 2021 to June 2022 reporting period.

The places which have seen the largest decline since the pandemic have been the best known, particularly in the remote parts of te Waipounamu.

Visits to the West Coast's Franz Josef Glacier and Pancake rocks were both to almost a tenth of visitor numbers seen in the 2018/19 report.

Day hikes popular with international tourists, including the volcanic pools of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and the instagram-famous Roys Peak Track above lake Wanaka, also saw some of the most dramatic drops in visitor numbers.

In 2019 Roys Peak had a reputation as a constant tourist traffic jam. Now walkers have dropped to 17 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

"While we know prior to the pandemic, high visitor numbers were putting pressure on some popular places, it's sobering to see these figures and their impact on nearby communities," says Bamford.

Popular day walks like the Tongariro Alpine Crossing saw large drops in visitor numbers. Photo / Caleb Shong, Unsplash

Great Walks uptake good in places

Uptake of DoC's Great Walks was mixed. The jewel in the crown of the Department's tramping network, The Tongariro Northern Circuit, Kepler and Whanganui Journey and Kepler tracks all saw visitor increases of between 16 to 25 per cent. However overall numbers were down five per cent, with closures and repair work on the Heaphy and Waikaremoana tracks.

With enthusiasm and extra coverage for the upcoming 30th Anniversary of the Great Walk network, DoC says that current bookings are already ahead of where they were last year - excluding the Heaphy Track which saw major disruption.

Bamford says that while return in interest and more bookings from overseas, an increasingly unpredictable climate has provided concern for track maintenance and access.

DoC says it is seeing the impacts of climate change in all aspects of its work, especially for recreational use.

"The reality of climate change is it will mean more closures and costs across DOC's recreation network. Repairs can take time as we explore long-term solutions for damaged sites that will stand up to future climate-related events," said Bamford.

The Heaphy Track remains closed following major flood damage to bridges in February and last week there are ongoing repairs to the Abel Tasman Track following severe rain in August 2022.

'European' New Zealanders recorded the highest proportion of respondents not visiting nature or heritage areas. Photo / Daniel Buckle, Unsplash

The Nature areas seeing the biggest drop in visitors

Milford Sound/Piopiotahi – down 86%
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes – down 85%
Franz Josef Glacier – down 83%
Roys Peak Track – down 83%
Tongariro Alpine Crossing – down 79%
*Visitor figures from 2021/22 versus 2018/19

Nature over heritage and the kiwis least likely to go outdoors

For the 2021/22 period 80 per cent of respondents said they visited a Protected Natural Area at least once in the past year, versus 75 per cent who visited a Protected Heritage Place.

New Zealanders who identified as "European" had the highest proportion of respondents who said that neither visited Protected Natural Areas nor Heritage Places at all, at 25 per cent, and recorded the lowest average number of reported visits per month.