The popular Mount Iron Recreation Reserve will be periodically closed to the public for most of the next three days because of extreme fire risks to life and property.
Access is permitted only in the mornings, from 6am to noon, today, tomorrow and Saturday.
The council will then decide whether to continue the closures or relax the access restrictions.
Fire risks increase in the afternoon as temperatures rise, humidity drops and wind speeds increase, making fast-spreading wildfires increasingly difficult to control, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said yesterday.
It is the first time the Queenstown Lakes District Council has monitored and closed Mount Iron for fire risks.
Previously, the land was in a mixture of private ownership and Department of Conservation ownership.
The private landowners did not permit public access to their part, while Doc was in charge of monitoring fire risks and access to its part.
The council became the reserve owner last year and its closure decisions are guided by fire indices and triggers outlined in the council’s Wildfire Reserve Closure and Activity Management Procedures.
This week’s closure was brought on by an extended spell of hot and dry weather and high temperatures forecast for tomorrow, QLDC acting general manager of community services Simon Battrick said.
"We know a wildfire in one of our reserves could have a devastating effect on our people, environment and economy.
"Closing access to the area while the danger is at such elevated levels is the safest option.
"It means we can reduce the potential for a fire to happen, and ensure people are out of harm’s way in the event a fire does start," Mr Battrick said.
"We’ll closely monitor the indices and either extend the closure or reopen the reserve on Sunday at 6am if it is considered safe to do so."
Wānaka has baked in hot, dry, weather for most of December and January.
The last, localised rainfall was on December 31, when the Metservice 5.6mm recorded at Wānaka Airport, 10km away from Mount Iron.
Updates on the reserve’s status and reopening will be made on the council’s website and social media pages, as per its agreed notification process.
The council also has an e-text service (www.qldc.govt.nz/text-alerts) the public can sign up to to receive reserve notifications.
