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 (QTT), 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."
The council wanted to move about 1.6km of trail crossing nine properties.
In a statement, owners said they had "trespassed" on to unused road reserve for over 100 years to reduce the fire risk, and because it was not maintained by roading authority Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency or its predecessors.
"Maintenance — trash removal, spraying, mowing — has been done by the adjacent ‘trespassing’ landowners."
Samuel Belk, who has owned Stronsay Farm for 28 years, claimed the trust was pushing the council and Waka Kotahi "to seriously damage, perhaps even financially wipe out some vineyards, a berry farm and pastures that have been farmed for up to 140 years".
He had some fencing removed for the original trail in 2003, which he replaced.
"We asked [Gibbston trail founder] Susan Stevens and the trails trust if there were plans to extend the trail further north.
"They verbally assured us there was not."
Mr Belk said he was unhappy there was no plan to compensate owners for replacing fences.
Particularly in the firing line were vineyard neighbours Herb Sims and Jon Pagan.
Mr Sims said the land he would have to give up was crucial for his vineyard operation as it was the tractor-turning area for cultivating, grape-picking, spraying and the like.
Less than five years ago he also replaced an old fence along the highway with a very expensive one, and also erected a new vineyard sign.
"Small vineyard owners like ourselves and Pagan Vines are, in no manner of speaking, getting rich, and often do not break even annually.
"If we have to go to all the expense of deconstructing what we have spent years building, then we have to ask ourselves is the vineyard worth continuing?"
Mr Pagan said the trail functioned as it was now.
Mr Belk said the trails trust and the council were also ignoring Gibbston’s "category 3" designation under the national policy statement for highly-productive land.
He understood 600mm was the minimum distance a trail could be from a highway, while other parts of the current trail were 2m to 4m away, so he asked why it could not be retained "without ripping out fences, reducing arable land, creating more construction and earthworks and alienating locals".
And, noting out he had a 17% rates increase, he asked if it was a good use of ratepayers’ money.
