Several property owners in Gibbston fear plans to move a cycle trail further from the highway will create a "path of destruction" through vineyards and historic pasture.
Queenstown Trails Trust, backed by Queenstown Lakes District Council, wants to realign the trail - in places barely 60cm from State Highway 6 - for safety reasons and to improve the experience for riders.
Trust chief executive Mark Williams said it was needed due to the huge numbers expected when the Kawarau Gorge Trail, through to Bannockburn, was completed in just over two years "because, otherwise, someone will get killed".
"And that’s not going to be something that happens on my watch."