After the 30th Otago Goldfields Cavalcade was cancelled last year due to Covid restrictions, trampers, riders and cyclists were champing at the bit to get going later this month, co-ordinator Terry Davis said.
Despite concerns about drought conditions and potential fire risk, as low rainfall persists throughout many parts of the South, Mr Davis said there were no plans to postpone the event again.
Of the 11 trails planned for this year’s event, two were in the vicinity of Doc’s Te Papanui Conservation Park.
Although Te Papanui was closed due to extreme fire risk, routes had been planned carefully to minimise risk, and an extensive range of fire mitigation steps were in place, Mr Davis said.
"None of our trails pass through Te Papanui, and the cavalcade has a recently updated, audited safety plan in place.
"We take fire risk very seriously, and we have extreme fire protocols in place including basic firefighting capability and remote satellite comms.
"In 30 years of cavalcading we’ve never started a fire, and we don’t intend to now."
Mr Davis said a change in the weather this week had brought some welcome showers to many parts of the cavalcade catchment, whose trails concluded at Millers Flat this year.
Further wet weather was forecast between now and the event start, on February 25.
"We’ve had a little bit of rain, and things have cooled off quite a bit. I’m confident by the time the cavalcade begins, the situation will have improved considerably."
He said all cavalcade trails were run by experienced back-country users, including locals who had a vested interest in conserving the landscape.
The Cavalcade began in 1991, retracing the 1862 journey of Cobb & Co Coach’s journey from Dunedin to the Dunstan Goldfields, via the Dunstan Trail.
The inaugural event attracted 220 riders.
This year’s 30th anniversary event is expected to host about 400.
A carnival day, final grand parade and hoedown will take place at Millers Flat sports ground, from 10am, March 4.
