Visitors putting lives and bridge work at risk by trespassing, DOC warns

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

The behaviour of people who repeatedly ignore safety barriers and disrupt construction in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park has prompted a stern warning.

The Department of Conservation’s operations manager for Aoraki/Mt Cook, Sally Jones, said security cameras were being installed to deter visitors from accessing closed sections of the popular Hooker Valley Track where a new suspension bridge is being built.

Jones said signs at the Whitehorse Hill car park and on the track warn people not to go past barriers.

However, some were ignoring the signs and “pleading ignorance when approached”.

“People are taking real risks by climbing fences, and in some cases, even attempting to cross the Hooker River – it’s bloody freezing, let alone fast and furious,” she said.

“They’re doing this all to get to the closed Hooker Bridge, which is not safe.”

Jones said staff and contractors working on the new 189-metre bridge were seeing visitors, sometimes 15 to 20 a day, ignoring safety barriers and gates.

She said the site was a construction zone where explosive work was being carried out, heavy machinery was being used and helicopters were flying in materials.

On one recent occasion, contractors had to stop a helicopter concrete pour to tell walkers to leave the area.

Jones said there had been more erosion of the riverbank holding the piles for the old bridge, further increasing risk of its failure.

“People are putting their lives at risk. We all want the new suspension bridge on the Hooker track open as soon as possible, and the construction workers need to be able to get on with the job without having to worry about the public.”

She said it was a restricted access site, meaning trespass notices may be issued.

“We just want visitors to respect the information we are giving them. Staying on tracks in general is important as our environment can be very challenging and we want people to have a safe trip.

“We sometimes see visitors putting themselves at risk to get that one photo near a dropoff or way off track. People can also trample over the unique and precious alpine vegetation and don’t seem to notice what they are destroying.

“Naturing means respecting and valuing the uniqueness of what we have here while also having a great visitor experience.”

As well as the bridge construction, Jones said there were several other operations being carried out in the park this summer.

They include a Te Manahuna Aoraki Project and Zero Invasive Predators pest elimination operation, which would involve temporary closures of the Tasman Valley Rd and lower Hooker track, from the first suspension bridge, while the aerial operations were carried out.

“We want to ensure there is minimal disruption to people’s plans,” she said.

“There are plenty of other walks in the park which have spectacular views of Aoraki including Kea Point, Sealy Tarns, and lovely nature walks like through Bowen Bush and the Governors Bush walk.”

To keep up to date with alerts, Jones asks visitors to check the Aoraki/Mount Cook section of the DOC website.