A quick fix for the Mount Maunganui tracks is not a matter of money or resources available – it's about safety, says Mount Maunganui steering group chairman Wayne Moultrie.
The steering group is a council/iwi committee responsible for the management of Mauao.
Mauao is closed while workers fix the slips that occurred there. Tauranga City Councillor Wayne Moultrie says the decision to reopen it will come once all are satisfied the tracks are safe.
The mountain is closed because it is unsafe to use the tracks following slips there caused during the severe storm two weekends ago.
The ground is still sodden and the best advice from the geotechnical experts is that the bigger slips are still too dangerous for contractors to work on.
'There is still water pouring out, which has made work very dangerous,” says Wayne.
The estimate of several months before the major slips can be cleared is based on professional advice.
The good news is that people should be able to resume walking to the Mount Maunganui summit in a week to 10 days, says Wayne.
'The 4WD track should be open in about a week,” says Wayne, 'and that's a projection only; if it can be opened earlier it will be.”
The early opening of the summit track is important because it provides access to the Mount water supply reservoir, and the 4WD track is also used as access for emergency services.
Mauao is entirely closed presently though and security guards are telling people it is too dangerous – but not all are listening.
The security guards have passed on the story of a father who brought his children to see the slips, and when told the mountain was closed, bypassed the guards, took his children to inspect the damage and boasted about it.
'What an appalling example to set in front of children,” says Wayne.
'If one of his kids died or broke a leg, who would he blame?”
11 comments
The Mt
Posted on 09-02-2011 11:37 | By maddog
Thank you Wayne Moultrie its about time someone came forward and told everybody whats going on, Safety comes first when something like that happens like in May 2005 when we last had a heavy down pour
The Mount Repairs
Posted on 09-02-2011 14:36 | By railwayman
Yes thank you for helping to put these idiots who say it is the only place they have to walk around when the council have built all of the walkways for them to use and for those idiots who can not see past there noses it is not the councils fault for the slips. What it should be is all care and NO responsibility on the council.Thank you Wayne and hope Mrs Ormsby reads this .
Posted on 09-02-2011 14:38 | By Right Again
I hope the IWI is paying for the work after making such a fuss.
Sensible Talk
Posted on 09-02-2011 15:24 | By Jitter
Wayne Moultrie is talking sense re the Mount. Those individuals (including Maori)who state that it is their right to access Mauao whether it is dangerous to them or not are complete idiots. If they intimidate, abuse or threaten the security people they should be arrested, charged with civil disobedience and thrown in jail overnight, no questions asked. I agree with "Right Again" the iwi which complained so strongly about right of access should be made to at least partially fund the repairs. What a pack of clowns. These individuals are amongst those that continue to give the Maori people a bad name.
MOUNT
Posted on 09-02-2011 20:30 | By Glen Clova
It would be nice to have a track with transport to the top as there are thousands of people who are not physically able to walk to the top. If the Mount was at Rotorua they would have a restaurant at the top.
SOMEONE IS TO BLAME FOR THIS MESS
Posted on 10-02-2011 08:48 | By Ratcatcher
MOULTRIE is stating the obvious. Of course people can't have access to the Mount track if it is unsafe or dangerous and if necessary ******** have to be protected from themselves.All this begs the real question as to how come prevenative steps were not taken to ensure major ground slippage did not cause substantial damage to such an important venue. It looks like TCC has been too busy spending money on the non essential luxuries than worrying about the crown jewels.In other words TCC is now facing the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff syndrome when the issue should have been addressed higher up.More tree planting(not sprawling pohutus)may help in the future.Message is protect the natural environment and forget about expensive concrete monuments.Anyway don't Iwi own Mauao so what are they contributing other than bitching.?
Luxuries before essentials
Posted on 10-02-2011 14:54 | By THE RING MASTER
Looks like the camp ground office has moved, isnt that part of the Mt Pool spend up? No consent for that yet.
1 + 1 = 4 in WOMBLE-LAND
Posted on 10-02-2011 18:38 | By The Master
The land is unstable because it is a hill, when you remove the trees and replace it with grass then add water = slips. Fixing it actually means clearing the current slip, it is not safer before or after and never likely to be!
New Mount Pools
Posted on 11-02-2011 15:50 | By THE RING MASTER
Would it not be a lot cheaper to make a hole in the mud than spend $7.5m ?
Better use of a road I think
Posted on 11-02-2011 18:16 | By TERMITE
Perhaps the new road seal applied outside Mr Moultrie's house on Ocean Beach road would have been better utilised around the Mount to improve the walk way for the many users. More certainly would have benefited from that.
No money in the roading account
Posted on 12-02-2011 15:38 | By THE RING MASTER
Nothing was left in roads account before election so Ocean Beach Rd was canned?
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