Consultation has opened for the tenure review of the Lowburn Valley property.
The proposal will produce 1919ha of conservation land and 3896ha of freehold land.
Included in the proposal is uninterrupted non-motorised public access from the Kawarau Gorge/Roaring Meg and the Lowburn Valley to the Pisa Conservation Area and beyond to the Cardrona and Upper Clutha Valleys.
The Roaring Meg track was seen as a "highway" for Maori hunters and traders for centuries.
The track led to the "natural bridge" over the Kawarau River upstream of the Roaring Meg power station.
The track was also used by gold miners travelling between Cromwell and Cardrona, and more recently by trampers.
The access was closed temporarily by Lowburn Station owners in 2016 after concerns about public safety.
The track, from Cardrona to Cromwell, runs through the station owners’ stock yards and there had been incidents between trampers and animals.
It has been open to the public again since early 2017, after Walking Access New Zealand provided signage and track marking.
The owners have, however, since signs and markers went in, happy for the public to use the track, even though it has not yet been formalised. If the review goes through it will be legalised in perpetuity.
Lowburn Station is owned by Anne Nielsen, David McLean, Mitten McLean and Rowan Lusher.
Mitten McLean said in 2016 they had troubles with access, uncharacteristically, and related to a relationship issue with a Doc staff member.
"We were in a uncomfortable situation as we were really worried that someone would get hurt, but also really hated having access closed. We sought out the help of the walking access commission and also the upper Clutha tramping club who were very helpful and we came to a workable access agreement by Dec 2016. This access has been continuously open ever since."
Under the proposal, the public would also enjoy full access over 1919ha of conservation area and could wander at will on foot over 47ha of other land.
The 3896ha land made freehold would have restrictions on about half of it through conservation covenants, restricting activities such as grazing, tree planting and vegetation clearance.
The proposed conservation area encompassed three rare ecosystems where three bird species and 12 botanical species were classified as at risk or threatened.
Commissioner of Crown Lands Craig Harris said the proposal would give greater protection to iconic landscapes and significant landmarks.
This included rocky gorges, historic stone huts and gold mining sites in the Roaring Meg, Mitre Creek and Skeleton Stream.
"If the proposal proceeds, it will formalise public access to 25km of tracks, equivalent to the length of 250 rugby fields, through freehold land," he said.
"This would expand existing recreational areas enjoyed by many for tramping, horse riding, biking and hunting."
The proposal was open to public consultation until March 7 on the Linz website. — Additional reporting Steve Hepburn
