| 3 T TAimee Wilson Blazing a new trail in Queenstown Stage two of the Queenstown Trail realignment project fills a missing link in the northern side of the basin, between Arrowtown, Arthurs Point and Tucker Beach. Queenstown Trails Trust: Shotover Gorge Trail REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Work on the most spectacular section of the Queenstown Trail is underway in the Shotover Gorge, expanding the Queenstown Trail network in the Whakatipu basin, and including restoration of the historic Hugo tunnel. Hopefully to be completed by Christmas, stage two of the Queenstown Trail realignment project fills a missing link in the northern side of the basin, between Arrowtown, Arthurs Point and Tucker Beach. Providing access to the Shotover Gorge, which was previously only accessible by jet boat on the river, the Kimi-ākau bridge and Hugo tunnel will become a huge draw card for tourists to the area. Queenstown Trails CEO Mark Williams says it was no easy task getting a trail through this challenging terrain, but they were excited about the prospect of bringing an abandoned mining tunnel to life for trail users. “We’d heard rumours of its existence, so we went exploring and (re)discovered it and did a feasibility study on whether it could be made safe for a public trail. After a lot of consenting conditions and working with the Department of Conservation, we were able to come up with a design and are stoked to be able to provide public access to this unique feature,” Mark says. Unlike tunnels on the Otago Central Rail Trail, this one has required extensive restoration/rehabilitation/stabilisation to make it suitable for trail users – “and its history associated with the gold-mining era and the purpose of diverting the river is fascinating”. Work underway at present involves blasting and rock breaking to widen and achieve design height, while the floor of the tunnel cannot be altered because of the historic significance of the in-situ railway tracks, which were used for carting out spoil as the tunnel was constructed. The 108m-long historic mining tunnel is located near the upstream mouth of the lower Shotover Gorge at Big Beach. The construction of the tunnel was planned during the gold rush of the late 1800s to divert the river and allow the riverbed to be mined for gold. It was not until 1962 that the Kawarau Diversion Syndicate finally constructed the tunnel with the intention to dam the Shotover River and generate the hydro-electric energy to power a dredge at Big Beach. Mark says the tunnel was constructed back in the day using drill and blast techniques – the evidence of which is still visible in the tunnel walls today. “The project was abandoned as the tunnel was considered too small, and located at a level that was too high to accommodate the river.” Queenstown Trails was thrilled that the Hugo Charitable Trust covered the costs of the restoration work for the tunnel. In recognition, the restored tunnel will be officially named the Hugo Tunnel – after namesake Hugh Green, whose company, Green & McCahill Ltd were themselves involved in many major tunnelling projects. Overall, the trail project has been 50% funded through MBIE and the NZCT Enhance and Expansion Fund, with 50% locally sourced through the Central Lakes Trust, local corporate sponsorship, philanthropist donors and generous trail supporters. MBIE Approved Master Trail Designer Chartered Professional Engineers Qualified (NZTA) Tender Evaluators Qualified Road Safety Auditors Member of the Association of Consulting Engineers 027 266 8635 SERVICES OFFERED Project and Design Management Structural Pavement Design Tracks and Trail Design Geotechnical, Structural, Transport and ThreeWaters Construction Supervision Engineer to Contract Services Procurement Specialists Road Safety Audits Let’s talk.
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