Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 74

Case Study: Great Walks, New Zealand ( Continued )
hut structures. The DOC put in place a booking system, with seasonal
hut and campsite fees that were highest during the peak summer
months. The key characteristics associated with BCCs were noted as:

• Setting and accessibility : natural setting (backcountry walk-in) with

generally the only modification being the facilities provided. Largely
foot access.

• Nature of visit and activities undertaken : the major activity under-

taken is trampling on the major tracks, with most trips taking two
to five days.

• Experience sought/degree of risk : seeking an outdoor experience in a

backcountry environment that has low risk due to the provision of
safe, comfortable facilities (use of guided or concessionaire opera-
tions) as for many this may be their first introduction to the New
Zealand backcountry.

• Facilities/services sought : seeking a low risk comfortable experience in

the backcountry; facilitated by the provision of good constructed
tracks, bridges and huts.

• Make-up of visitors and visitor numbers : an equal proportion of New

Zealanders and international visitors on the major tracks.
New Zealanders in this group are relatively inexperienced with a
wide age range. The majority of international visitors are aged
between 20 and 40.

• Projected use : this group is projected to experience a large increase in

international visitors, with domestic visitors remaining static or even
declining, based on 'tramper flight' to lower use areas to avoid
increasing numbers. (Department of Conservation, 1996)

In its 2003 strategy, the DOC noted that by the end of the 1990s there
was a need to remove some visitor facilities from the backcountry. While
criticized by a wide range of New Zealanders, this strategy of removal was
necessary to maintain the country's wild places, as the Great Walks
attracted ever increasing numbers of international visitors. Table 3.2 out-
lines the key characteristics of the Great Walks, and their overriding
appeal to international visitors in that they are, with one exception,
classed as easy tramping tracks with duration times (number of days) that
can fit easily into their schedule of planned activities. Figure 3.5 illustrates
that many of the Great Walks are located within New Zealand's national
park system, where most of the walks are found on the South Island.
For backcountry adventurers there are over 11,000 km of tramping
tracks with basic huts of category 3 (tramping tracks) and 4 (route