An accident decades ago led to him spending more time in a wheelchair or on his mobility scooter than he does on his feet.
But that has not discouraged him from pushing ahead with a plan to create a walking track through the native forest on his hillside farm round the back of the small Upper Clutha settlement.
The idea came to him 20 years ago, and the signs for the Charteris Track were finally put in place, marking its completion, late last month.
Mr Charteris took his track idea to the Upper Clutha Tracks Trust six years ago, and ever since the trust has been working through the paperwork — a Queenstown Lakes District Council resource consent and Department of Conservation (Doc) approval — and the track planning and construction.
While the track is only 1.1km long, it is the last link in a loop taking in the Makarora township on State Highway 6, the camping ground and Doc’s short nature walk in the Mt Aspiring National Park.
Trust project manager and retired surveyor Brian Weedon said the route had to follow the contours of the hillside, all the while — with the guidance of an ecologist — ensuring there was no damage to rare and endangered plants.
The gravel track gently winds its way through huge matai, kahikatea, rimu and beech trees.
The high rainfall at Makarora required considerable work on managing water flows, by way of drainage ditches, culverts and bridges.
Mr Weedon said the trust would have liked the track to have been wheelchair-accessible, with slopes of no more than 3 degrees, but the substantial amount of earthworks required made that too difficult.
The track does however have relatively gentle slopes Mr Charteris negotiates with ease on his mobility scooter, and he gets a "buzz" out of seeing members of the public walking and running through his forest.
Mr Charteris was fully engaged in the planning and construction of the track and plans to help with maintenance as required.
The forest was covered by a QE2 covenant meaning it cannot be cleared or damaged by future owners.
Mr Charteris, a former possum hunter, has taken care of that problem over the years, and the track has allowed the Aspiring Biodiversity Trust to put 50-60 new stoat traps in place to help protect the forest’s birds, including kaka.
Trust secretary John Wellington said the track cost the trust about $180,000.
"It provides an easy access to a beautiful native forest.
"There’s very little in the way of short walks in the Makarora area."
The trust will continue to work and is fundraising for the Hawea River tracks project.
This is a new track on the true right of the river from the Hawea Dam to Camphill Rd, and an upgrade of the existing Hawea River Track from Camphill Rd to Albert Town.
The trust has received grants from Central Lakes Trust and the Otago Community Trust, but its application to the Lotteries Commission was declined and they are facing a shortfall of $110,000 to get those projects delivered. — APL
