New Great Walk

[Lizzy]

Must still have a bit of money coming in from all those dodgy hut fee piking tourists

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/ ... -finalised

[wayno]

its very political and sad actually, the money is a one off to build the track to try and increase tourism on the coast to try and keep the locals happy.
the govt promised to retrieve the twenty bodies in the pike River Coal mine after a methane explosion and they then said they werent going to be retrieved. the locals have been very traumatised by the events surrounding the coal mine.
DOC and the govt are generally despised on the west coast, they lock up land to prevent people from making a living, they have shut down forestry and other coal mines.
the walk isnt being received entirely positively its going to be a "great walk" /memorial, it will have all the publicity that great walks entail with tourists posting all their selfies all over the internet having a great time on a track that is to commemorate tragic deaths from the coal mine disaster. a lot of the families of the deceased are apalled by the prospect of the walk being built through the area...
no one was ever prosecuted over the mine explosion despite glaring gaps in health and safety procedures and govt inspector no's being cut, resulting in insufficient inspections..
its the govt providing a cardboard cutout knee jerk answer to a tragic situation...
they throw millions at "great walks" while large tracks of forest and millions of native birds are destroyed by introduced pests

[GPSGuided]

Can't please everyone all the time, that's society.

[madpom]

More generally: its easy to get money to build travks / facilities in nz. Lots if funds that DOC , councils, community groups can bid for to develop these things. Trouble is there are no similar pots of money you can bid for to maintain them.

Which is why everyone is trying to figure out a way of achieving 'user pays' for upkeep without putting nz residents off and losing all the health, conservation, societal benefits you get from a society thats active outdoors.

[wayno]

getting too late to stop the physical decline of NZ. nz has the third most obese people in the world. auckland is the most obese city in the world.
the last office i worked in was predominantly obese people. none showed any interest in physical exercise or sports... I got out of that job as quickly as I could... not my scene

[GBW]

Wayno, it's a bit unfair to paint a picture like that of all tourists that they don't care...I would certainly stop and reflect as a sign of respect if I saw a plaque/memorial honoring 20 people who died. I've passed many memorials on walks dedicated to people and don't see any problem with them as a form of remembrance...but it doesn't stop me from having a good time.

[wayno]

Wayno, it's a bit unfair to paint a picture like that of all tourists that they don't care...I would certainly stop and reflect as a sign of respect if I saw a plaque/memorial honoring 20 people who died. I've passed many memorials on walks dedicated to people and don't see any problem with them as a form of remembrance...but it doesn't stop me from having a good time.

its the whole govt stock standard approach thats the issue, put a great walk through it, regardless that a lot of the locals are bitterly opposed to it, the tracks are like roads, they have to blast a track through a steep gorge.
then call it a memorial track...

[GPSGuided]

...regardless that a lot of the locals are bitterly opposed to it, the tracks are like roads, they have to blast a track through a steep gorge.
then call it a memorial track...

The report seemed to suggest that it has the support of the families of the deceased. Frankly and given the location of the mine, without something like this, it will not be visited and will be forgotten.

[wayno]

...regardless that a lot of the locals are bitterly opposed to it, the tracks are like roads, they have to blast a track through a steep gorge.
then call it a memorial track...

The report seemed to suggest that it has the support of the families of the deceased. Frankly and given the location of the mine, without something like this, it will not be visited and will be forgotten.

the families are very divided in their opinions, theres a pro and an anti group.

[GPSGuided]

the families are very divided in their opinions, theres a pro and an anti group.

What were their respective reasoning?

[wayno]

the anti group think its as disrepectful to have the walk there when their loved ones are still in the mine, as the pro group think it shows respect

[newhue]

And as you say wayno who cares about the environment. Just a door mat for humans to have their way. If humans weren't so scabby and focused on money perhaps the miners would not be dead. So a few humans die, we all know the earth can do with a few less. But the animals displaced, or killed doesn't raise an eyebrow. However if humans were honest with themselves we need the animals far more than a walk, a mine, or more humans. Just speaking for the trees.

[roysta]

As someone who lost a relative at Pike River I'm quite happy about the new Great Walk.
Memorial or otherwise I don't have a problem with it.
It's a pity they didn't recover the bodies from the mine, but that's the reality of it.
I'll tip my hat to my nephew on the way through.


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[wayno]

good on you Roy, I do hope the families of the others who perished dont hold too much against the walk in the future, this walk is going to take a lot of blasting to get through a gorge, i dont think they needed to go to great walks standards and make what is almost a benched road through the bush.

[roysta]

I agree Wayne, I'm not sure they had to go to Great Walk standard either.
The feeling among the families is mixed but my sister is very much for it and given her son died there who am I to argue.


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[RonK]

I've been thinking about posting here for a while, but it's delicate subject and I have my own reasons for feeling some connection, however tenuous.

In 2010 I was on a bike tour in New Zealand. On November 10, just a short distance out of Greymouth I came across this monument.



Just a short distance along the road I came to this. The Brunner Mine



In 1896 an explosion in the Brunner Mine killed 65 miners. It's true that all the bodies were eventually recovered, but even after the passage of time it was difficult for me not to be affected by the gravity of the event.

Later that day I passed through Ikamatua near Pike River, stopped at the little shop and bought a cold drink and snack, then sat on an old wooden chair outside the shop enjoying a brief break from cycling. Just 9 days later came the the tragic event at the mine. I watched the local tv coverage and felt I was part of the event, even if only as an onlooker. To me it's more than just a story on the evening news - it's one of those memories that will never leave me.

These monuments are right at the side of the main road through the Grey Valley. Events here will never be forgotten. But the Pike River Mine is a long way from the highway, out of sight and for most, out of mind. I think these miners deserve to be remembered, and a walk through the area would ensure their memory is preserved.