Both the 16km five-hour return Roys Peak and the 4.5km 90-minute loop Mount Iron tracks continue to attract large numbers of walkers, many of whom arrive by vehicle with nowhere to park.
Parking became an issue at the Roys Peak car park located 6km west of Wanaka on Mt Aspiring Rd more than two years ago when the hike was heavily promoted on social media. Doc negotiated with the owners of Alphaburn Station to purchase land beside the original car park to double the size to approximately 3600sq m.
Work was carried out when the track was closed for lambing in September this year and at the same time the Queenstown Lakes District council upgraded the vehicle entrance to the car park by constructing a slip lane and additional widening on the opposing side of the road.
The road works included marking dashed yellow no-stopping lines along Mt Aspiring Rd leading to the Doc car park entrance.
QLDC infrastructure project manager Rob Darby has said the no-stopping lines were enforceable but council cannot be contacted to confirm whether anyone is ticketing illegal parking on Mt Aspiring Rd. The Doc website promotes parking for the Mount Iron track on a road reserve car park off SH84 (the main road into Wanaka from the east), just 2km from town.
"I’m not complaining about the parking; they have to park somewhere but I am concerned about the danger to cars going in and out of the road reserve car park," he said.
"What people don’t hear or see are the near-accidents. We can because of where we are situated. We go: ‘Oh, that was another near-accident’."
Department of Conservation senior ranger Annette Grieve said the department was working with the developers of Three Parks, QLDC and New Zealand Transport Authority on the development of a new car park to accommodate Mt Iron track users, as part of a proposed new roundabout.
She said it was still in "the planning stages" but it would likely be north of the current car park towards the track on public conservation land which had been set aside for a car park.
Queenstown Lakes District Council deputy mayor Calum McLeod said the council had been working with Lake Wanaka Tourism since before last January to encourage hikers to ride a bike along the Waterfall Creek track to the Roys Peak track car park instead of driving. He said he was aware of the proposed new roundabout near the Mount Iron track car park but he would like to see an underpass under the roundabout to encourage non-motorised transport and "which would fit into the bigger transport plan for the area".
