Working to restore climbers’ Wye Creek access

Queenstown’s climbing community is working with Pioneer Energy to maintain access to one of New Zealand’s premier climbing areas that was closed off after being overrun by the public.

The energy company last month cut off pedestrian access to its Wye Creek dam and South Branch pipeline, off the Kingston highway, for safety reasons.

Pioneer Energy chief executive Peter McClean said due to social media exposure, public usage had soared with about 12,000 people crossing the dam and pipeline in the past year.

‘‘Our structures have not been designed for the volume of traffic they are now seeing,’’ Mr McClean said.

‘‘As a consequence, we have made a decision to close the track while we assess potential improvement options.’’

The Department of Conservation (Doc) said the public could still use its track to the hydro dam and then its track to the Lower Wye Creek basin and Remarkables conservation area beyond.

However, Queenstown’s climbing community has been using Pioneer Energy’s board walk and pipe corridor to access Wye Creek South Side — home to about 150 climbing routes — for about 30 years.

Queenstown Climbing Club president Guillaume Charton said over that time, the relationship between Pioneer Energy and the club had been ‘‘very constructive’’ with both sides working together to maintain long-term access to the site.

Mr Charton said the club had invested thousands of dollars and significant volunteer time into Wye Creek.

That had included maintaining and improving the access road and tracks, helping maintain parking areas, planting native trees, trapping pests and helping look after the wider area, he said.

Further, a portion of club membership fees had gone into Wye Creek.

‘‘Importantly, this work has benefited not only climbers, but everyone visiting Wye Creek.’’

He said Pioneer Energy had understandably reviewed access from a health and safety perspective.

‘‘On busy weekends, there can now be hundreds of people accessing the pipe and platform area, and it has increasingly become a ‘Roys Peak-type’ destination despite the infrastructure being private operational infrastructure owned by Pioneer Energy rather than public recreational infrastructure.

‘‘And it was never intended to be for public use.’’

However, Mr Charton said the club was working with the energy company to maintain access — by way of a special lock — to anyone registered with a climbing club.

‘‘It’s really to ensure [climbers] can still go through that pipe to access maybe the second-best climbing area in New Zealand.

‘‘We’ve entered in an agreement anyone registered with a climbing club will be able to access [Wye Creek South Side], and then we’re able to see who’s coming in and out,’’ he said.

‘‘Doc has also been approving and supporting this new agreement between Pioneer Energy and the club.’’