The owners of Lowburn Station say maintaining the balance between farming and allowing the public access to their land has not been easy.
David McLean, Anne Neilsen, their daughter Mitten and son-in-law Rowan Lusher bought the 5814ha station in 2005.
• Access matter for tenure review
The property includes the Roaring Meg and Cardrona-Cromwell walking tracks, which the couple closed to the public late last year.
Ms Neilsen told the Otago Daily Times this week when they bought the property they were aware of "informal public access'' agreed between the Department of Conservation (Doc) and the previous owner "and had no problem with this''.
But it soon became clear it was "far from ideal'' having the Cardrona-Cromwell track running through the middle of their yards and up their central farm track, where most of their farm work was done.
"Initially, we tried to solve the problems as they arose. When Doc didn't come to the party, we refurbished the old long-drop and supplied it with toilet paper.
"We made gates easier to open and shut. Despite this, with increasing use of the track, there have been increasing incidents of escapes and mixups of stock through gates inadvertently or deliberately left open.''
Ms Neilsen said it could take days to remuster, redip, redrench and redraft sheep.
Sheep had also been lost to Doc's neighbouring Pisa Conservation Estate ‘‘by the hundreds, if not thousands''.
And there had been injuries to the public, Ms Neilsen said.
"We had purchased a new dog, which we were working in the yards.
"Alovely cyclist ... biked towards us and was pulled off the bike [by the dog], suffering a severe bite to her ankle. She did not want to press charges, but we felt compelled to shoot the dog.''
A walker was also bitten by another dog during shearing.
"Her husband raced back in anger to complain and was also bitten, by a different dog wanting to protect my husband.''Ms Neilsen said speeding mountain bikers presented a hazard to stock.
"Lambs get chased through fences and are mismothered. Older sheep may jump into dense scrub where they get cast or stuck.''
She had also seen near-misses between cyclists, cattle and farm vehicles.
The family confined their three bulls to the yards for months last year, because it was "simply too dangerous for us to take the risk'' they might injure a member of the public.
Maintaining the balance between farming and public access is "fraught'', they said.
"We do wonder how many people would tolerate groups of the public turning up, not just at their place of work but coming over to the spot that they are actually working, to take photos of them, have a bit of a poke around and then maybe settle down in the middle of things for a picnic, and quite possibly have firearms with them.
"We think that with the opportunity of access comes the responsibility to not leave gates open and harm stock.''
Ms Neilsen said they were not particularly happy about closing the track and had met "some lovely and interesting people''.
"The majority of walkers are no trouble at all.''
