Paid parking coming for overcrowded tourist hotspot in Aoraki/Mt Cook

Friday, 15 November 2024

Overflow from the car park at White Horse Hill Campground — the start of the Mueller Track — causes long queues of cars parking down Hooker Valley Rd. (File photo)

A tourist hotspot in South Canterbury may soon get some reprieve as the Department of Conservation intends to pilot paid parking.

Visitors to Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast, and White Horse Hill in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park would start paying for parking from the summer of 2025/26 after DOC announced a $3.8 million pilot which aimed to help manage visitor pressure and support conservation.

DOC’s heritage & visitors director Catherine Wilson said people from across New Zealand and the globe were drawn to the country’s stunning landscapes and nature.

“It’s DOC’s job to protect and restore nature and ensure these experiences are good,” Wilson said.

“These three car parks are among our busiest. We can’t just keep building bigger car parks — it doesn’t solve the issue or uphold these outstanding areas. We have to modernise and innovate to deliver for nature and for New Zealand.

“A user pays approach for DOC car parks has long been mooted as a sensible solution — with the goal of reducing pressure and generating revenue at our popular sites.

The $3.8 million paid parking pilot which includes White Horse Hill car park aims to help manage visitor pressure and support conservation. (File photo)

“The approach brings us in line with overseas solutions for similar issues. By contributing to costs at high use sites, visitors give back to the places they enjoy, helping create a more regenerative model to sustain New Zealand’s precious biodiversity.”

Tourist congestion had long been an issue at Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park.

In March 2019 a Mackenzie District Council management plan listed a suite of measures to deal with increasing visitor pressures on the park.

One option was a 'park and ride' system which would see visitors being made to catch buses for a final 11 kilometre trip to the village.

Another option was to limit visitor numbers.

At the time, it was estimated there were over a million visitors to the area thanks to an influx of overseas tourists.

Three years later, a 1.5 kilometre-long line of cars on Hooker Valley Rd prompted calls for revitalising levies, caps and different types of funding.

The Mackenzie District’s mayor wanted to look at “alternative funding models” for the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, while a local tourism operator called for a “parks fee”.

A photograph looking west to the Ben Ohau range in the Mackenzie Country. The Aoraki Mt Cook area is to the hard right of the photo. (File photo)

Fast forward to today and Wilson said no decisions have been made regarding pricing or charging mechanisms.

“DOC is in the planning phase for the paid car parking pilot. This work includes engaging with partners and stakeholders, and addressing site-specific concerns,” she said.

“Sites like White Horse Hill car park are already over capacity on peak days with an estimated 700 vehicles per day. At times there are up to 150 vehicles parked up to 1.5km down the access road.

“For this site, we will be exploring solutions, such as pre-booked parking, to help manage visitor demand and mitigate the environmental impacts that come with heavy use.”

The pilot was funded by $3.8m from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).

Work included car park improvements and the introduction of paid parking systems for car parks at Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast, and White Horse Hill, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in Canterbury.

DOC anticipated car park charges would be in place at all three pilot sites by the summer of2025/26.

The trial period would cover 12 months and findings would inform how and where DOC might charge for car parks in future.