A new permit system is now in place for vehicles using the popular backcountry track into historic Macetown.
The former mining town sits deep in a valley around 15 kilometres along a rugged track north of Arrowtown, near Queenstown.
The area attracts campers, mountain bikers, four‑wheel‑drivers and commercial tour operators.
After about 18 months of planning, the system now requires registered vehicles and motorbikes to pay $40 per visit, with locals able to purchase an annual pass.
The project has been led by Macetown Access Project head Kevin Marlow, working with mana whenua, landowners and recreation groups under a formal agreement.
“The whole purpose of it is to preserve access and make sure we can keep the Macetown Road access open to all users for the future,” he said.
The focus was to preserve access, reduce deterioration, improve safety, prevent vandalism and protect heritage features.
Although commonly referred to as a road, Macetown Road was not legally a road. The Outdoor Access Commission said it’s a farm track crossing a complex mix of private land, conservation land, marginal strip and Crown riverbed.
Spokesperson Richard Ryall said: "This is a very unique situation that we have here with the various landowners and stakeholders that are involved. But it may be a model that is easy to copy for other places around New Zealand."
The new system includes a locked gate, CCTV and number‑plate recognition, with conditions designed to control vehicle numbers and fund maintenance and upgrades.
He said “[the gate is] how we control the number of people that will be coming in and out… ensuring that it's safe to use and also helps us to raise funds to invest back in the road for maintenance and improvements to the road.”
Marlow said vandals had also been a problem over the years.
“There was lots of vandalism to the environment that was also occurring where people were deciding to go ahead with their own, make their own new tracks and damage the land and the stuff around it,” he said.
Consistent funds had also been a challenge over recent years.
The Queenstown Lakes District (QLDC) council gave a one-off grant for the community-led project to get the new access gate started, in favour of an ongoing maintenance arrangement.
In a statement, the council told 1News, while the road managed by QLDC, “it sits in a complex access and land ownership context".
"Any similar approach would be considered case-by-case. Factors would include the legal status of the land, ownership, access obligations, funding context, and the public interest involved.”
Tourism company Nomad Safaris will pay a commercial fee to access the track for paying customers and has committed to sponsorship support.
The Outdoor Access Commission said it has not seen anything similar across the country.
Ryall has a tip for those unsure about land access.
“The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to find out where they have free access is to use Pocket Maps, which is a free app that you can get on your phone.”
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