In his chairman's report, Lyal Cocks said the cost of maintaining Mt Aspiring Rd, the primary access to the national park, was considerable. He suggested the Queenstown Lakes District Council, together with the Department of Conservation, investigate the feasibility and steps necessary to implement a ''user pays-type'' system. The toll would apply to the unsealed section beyond the entrance to Treble Cone skifield.
''We're trying to get ways of getting visitors to make a little bit more of a contribution to our infrastructure,'' Mr Cocks said.
Board members agreed most national parks overseas had entry fees, before approving Mr Cocks' recommendation that the council proceed with an investigation.
Asked for his input, QLDC capital works manager Ken Gousmett said New Zealand had a ''different philosophy towards public access'' than other countries, and imposing charges on Mt Aspiring Rd would require plenty of consultation. Later, Mr Cocks said the road's maintenance was funded by Wanaka ward ratepayers. However, he envisaged ratepayers would be exempt from any road charge.
Mr Cocks said there were legal issues to overcome, such as the fact road tolls could only be imposed if there was an alternative route, which was not the case. Wanaka River Journeys co-owner Sue Pihama said when contacted the road was extremely well-used by farmers, commercial operators and an increasingly large number of tourists, yet its condition at times was ''diabolical'' and a safety hazard.
''It becomes degraded and rutted very, very quickly,'' she said.
''It's been bad for years ... and here we are in Wanaka trying to promote our tourism and that's one of the big roads that's used.
''I'm really encouraged that there's correspondence going on about the road.''
Ros Goulding, of Deep Canyon Wanaka - which runs daily canyoning excursions in the Matukituki Valley during summer - commended the community board on its ''lateral'' thinking on the issue, but questioned the practicality of a toll.
The proposal seemed an ''overreaction'' to users' concerns about the poor state of the road, she said.
''Why would you toll one road up to a park that actually receives relatively low usage, in comparison to something like the Crown Range ... I think all we're asking for is for it [Mt Aspiring Rd] to be graded regularly.
''Since when as a community should we be taxing our visitors who come here to use some roads but not toilets? New Zealanders and overseas guests and local people visit the park. A road tax - isn't that a penalty to visit the outdoors when you've got a toll on the only access road to the national park?''
Department of Conservation Wanaka community relations manager Annette Grieve said Doc was yet to see the proposal, and she had no comment at this stage.
QLDC transport manager Denis Mander said estimates from several years ago indicated an average of just under 300 vehicles a day used the road during the Christmas-New Year period.
