Macetown Rd is closed due to multiple slips caused by last week’s rainstorm.

Shotover 4WD Club member Kevin Barlow, who walked the 4WD track with other club members as far as Soho Creek on Tuesday to assess the damage, tells Mountain Scene there are “numerous slips, washouts, slumps and rockfalls” on the track, with some slips still moving.

What he has seen so far “looks repairable”, but with the last 7km of the track yet to be assessed, the full magnitude of the storm’s impact remains an unknown quantity.

With more rain forecast over the coming days, the Mahu Whenua Tracks Advisory Group — which oversees the road and its permit system — has decided to close it to all users until further notice.

“So that’s not just vehicles, but walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders — that’s from a safety perspective.”

How long it remains closed will depend on the weather over the next few weeks and the risk of continuing slips.

“We’ll be trying to get it open as soon as possible given the weather and the circumstances.”

Barlow led the project to set up a managed access system for the 15km track, which runs from Arrowtown to the Macetown Historic Reserve.

Since March 1, vehicle users and motorbike riders have had to buy a $40 permit online to get the code for a locked gate about 3km along the track from Arrowtown.

All revenue goes into a dedicated account, managed by the Arrowtown Charitable Trust, which is used to fund maintenance and improvements to the track.

Barlow says based on what he has seen of the damage so far, he is confident there are enough funds available to pay for the repairs.

The permit system was prompted by Queenstown council’s decision in 2024 to stop funding maintenance and repairs to the track, which it had been doing so voluntarily for years despite having no legal obligation.

— GUY WILLIAMS