Jet-boating enthusiasts may have gained access to one of the last bastions of river wilderness in the Queenstown Lakes, but getting there in the first place remains a hard slog.
A 5-knot speed limit has been lifted on the Hunter River at the head of Lake Hawea, but watercraft access to the remote area is difficult, Queenstown Lakes harbourmaster Marty Black says.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council amended its Navigation Safety Bylaw in August to uplift the speed limit on the Hunter River - the only waterway in the district which has such a restriction - for two separate periods of six weeks.
A 5-knot speed limit effectively prohibits jet-boats and jet skis from travelling up the the river against downstream water flows.
The first of these six-week periods began on Monday and will continue until December 12.
However, water levels make the navigation of the braided river tricky.
"There are very low river flows at the moment and getting through the river mouth is very difficult," harbourmaster Marty Black said.
Jet-boat use would be monitored by council staff to try to gauge the numbers accessing the area, Mr Black said.
Jet-boat enthusiasts face a long trip up the northern half of the wind-prone Lake Hawea to reach the Hunter River.
The only permitted launching area is from a boat ramp near the Neck, at the start of Mead Rd.
Public access further up Mead Rd has been blocked by Hunter Valley Station owners Taff and Penny Cochrane for the high-country farm's main lambing and calving season - scheduled to finish on November 26.
The move has upset the QLDC, which is seeking a court injunction over the blocked access.
The Hunter River is valued by hunting, fishing, and outdoors enthusiasts as one of the last bastions of wilderness in the district.
The high-country fishing season also started on Monday.
The second period allowing jet-boat access is from March 19 until April 30.
