Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 2. 7th March 1973
The Rape of Another Fair Lady
The Rape of Another Fair Lady
Letter to Salient
The Heaphy is an area of beautiful native N.Z. bush, untouched beaches, scenic rivers, limestone caves and tropical vegetation.
There are plans for the construction of the first two miles of a road through this area by the end of this year. The Heaphy is a scenic park lying approximately between Karamea and Collingwood and at present there is a forty-four mile track going through it, looked after by the forest Service. The Heaphy is on par with the Milford Track and every year thousands come to walk it, stay at the six huts provided and enjoy walking through the country rather than driving over it.
If a road is put through the Heaphy Track it will inevitably destroy the environment. There will undoubtedly follow the usual chorus of "lets convert this now accessible land into farmland" or "lets construct motels and hotels to cater for tourist demands, at the most scenic spots".
This sort of opportunism is against the interests of the New Zealand public. The road is neither economically viable nor necessary. It will link two small towns Karamea and Collingwood each of only 700 inhabitants, between which there is little or no trade. It will not "open up" the West Coast for employment, nor make it more accessible as there is already a route to Nelson of the same length. The locals know this and I have heard excuses for the road such as "it will make it possible for people to bring their caravans to Karamea" or "I want the road so I can go and visit Aunt Thelma in Collingwood". The locals want the road for such indescribably trivial reasons, and must not be allowed to delude the government that this is what the country as a whole wants.
This issue is as important as Manapouri— Sign the petition in the Students' Union or write to Organization to Preserve the Heaphy, Box 2998, Wellington. Don't just sit on your arse doing nothing and then wonder why there's no NZ left untrampled.
from the Organization to save the Heaphy.