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
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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