West Coast mine tram attraction could become 'fantastic' new walkway
By Brendon McMahon, local democracy reporter
The fate of the underground Denniston Experience-tram ride into the historic Banbury Mine has been sealed, seven years after its shock closure when new mining regulations kicked in.
It could instead be redeveloped as part of a “fantastic” new walkway once a new master plan for Denniston was finalised, the West Coast Conservation Board was told on Friday.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is moving the historic Banbury site – the earliest coal mine on the Denniston Plateau – from 'care and maintenance' status to 'rehabilitation'.
The Pike River disaster in 2011, the year the underground train ride opened, signalled the end for the Denniston tram attraction just five years later. It closed in 2016 when new mining regulations required the operator to have a first-class mine manager's certificate.
DOC Western South Island director Mark Davies told the board it was important to note the vision for the Banbury Mine site into the future would be considered in a broader master plan now being developed for the plateau.
The Denniston master plan would help order priorities by DOC for any further work to enhance the visitor experience, along with protecting the heritage and biodiversity values of the plateau, Davies said.
He had asked for the master plan after a previous “reactive” approach to fixing problems at Denniston, such as the two-time collapse and repair of a stone wall at the brakehead at the top of the incline.
Davies said decisions now for parts of Denniston were essentially about “when is enough, enough?”
“What we've got there is changing priorities.”
After 2017, when the previous Denniston Experience operator surrendered the concession, the department could not find another operator prepared to meet the new regulatory limits to operate. “We had a number of attempts to get a commercial operator in to run the operation, but the costs... The number of visitors were very low -- it wasn't sustainable as a visitor operation.”
A move towards rehabilitation at the former experience site form part of the master plan.
“It's pretty clear to me that a walking track or experience has potential.”
The public has been barred from the Banbury site for now, but under a rehabilitation approach the site could be reconfigured to give visitors “quite a spectacular experience”.
Board member John Taylor said a big problem had been the decision pre-2011 to resurrect a rail-based operation into the old tunnel.
Davies said he was not able to address that, but “walking through is a fantastic experience”.
The Banbury venture began in 2007 and cost $3 million to set up. DOC collaborated in a joint venture with the Buller District Council, Development West Coast, Solid Energy and Friends of the Hill to create a new visitor attraction under a previous enhancement project for the Denniston Plateau.
It was spearheaded by a sudden burst in interest in Denniston in the preceding years after the publication of the novel The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick and subsequent screen adaptation.
“It received very positive reviews and won several awards. It included a short train ride and an audiovisual experience inside the mine, bringing to life the experience of an underground mine for visitors.”
The Banbury site is currently stewardship land recommended for reclassification as historic reserve.
A DOC staff report to the board said there were numerous options available in a “rehabilitation pathway” for Banbury Mine. “This will be one that balances visitor safety, heritage values, finance, and visitor experience.”
*Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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