Senior ranger Annette Grieves said there had been four reports of drones being operated on the Roys Peak track, one before and three since Christmas Day.
No fines had been issued but staff had ‘‘interacted with visitors using drones on Roys Peak, along State Highway 6 to Haast, and at Aspiring and Siberia huts’’.
Due to high visitor use, proximity to airport and aircraft flight paths or restrictions in the national park plan, recreational drone use was not permitted in public conservation lands around Wanaka.
Doc reinforced CAA safety requirements and regulated drone use over public conservation land to also protect wildlife, respect cultural values and allow people to visit sites with minimal disturbance, Ms Grieves said.
Recommended drone locations in Otago could be obtained from the Doc website and any inappropriate drone use should be reported to the local Doc office or the Doc emergency hotline 0800 DOC HUT (0800 326 464), she said.
