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A contractor repairing flood damage on the Milford Track says it is one of the most difficult jobs he has ever done.
Abseil Access Site Supervisor Matthew Thom and his team are “days away” from completing the Giants Gate Bridge, a replacement for the wooden bridge washed away during severe February flooding, when the area received nearly a tenth of the damage. annual rainfall in the space of 24 hours.
About 18 tons of equipment and materials had to be flown by helicopter to the remote site, Thom said.
Being more than 11 km from the nearest road, he and his team have been living in a makeshift camp, in sometimes dire weather conditions, while completing the work.
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This comes with its own unusual challenges: from sandfly bites to sharing a camp with nosy weka who wake them up in the morning like roosters.
Then there was the weather bomb in late September that brought little snow and extreme temperatures.
It was a struggle to stay motivated, Thom said.
“This is one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever done in terms of weather,” he said.
“It’s a pretty demanding site,” agreed bridge builder Ash Rogers.
Louisa Steyl / Things
Giants Gate Bridge is located on the iconic Milford Track. It had to be completely rebuilt after heavy floods in February destroyed the previous version.
Louisa Steyl / Things
Contractors Erwen Coq (left), Mathew Thom, Ash Rogers and Harlon Johnson have a conversation with Southern Lakes pilot and DOC Chief Ranger Grant Tremain during a break at the site where they are repairing the Giants Gate Bridge in Milford Track.
They are among 30 people who “work hard” at different sites around Fiordland National Park to repair flood damage in time for the hiking season.
There were a couple of times in the last eight months that DOC head ranger Grant Tremain didn’t think that the Milford Track, which is one of New Zealand’s great rides, would be open in time for roaming season.
The DOC was unable to open the road, end to end, before the bridge was completed, because the risk of homeless people trying to cross flooded streams was too great, Tremain said.
“We know how dangerous it is here,” he said.
Just yards from the Giants Gate Suspension Bridge, a parallel track program is underway.
Louisa Steyl / Things
DOC Chief Ranger Grant Tremain says there were times when he didn’t think the Milford Track would reopen in time for roaming season.
The new track, which replaced the wood that was washed, has already been underwater, Tremain said, but the gravel replacement tracks meant it didn’t need any repair work this time.
“As track construction techniques change, we are moving away from maintenance-intensive wooden walkways,” Tremain said.
Repairing all of the flood damage will take another two years, at a total cost of $ 13.7 million, but getting the Milford Track up and running was a priority, Tremain said.
“This is the lifeblood of the community,” he said, referring to the track’s role in attracting tourists to the region.
Milford Track will officially reopen on November 30, with the first visitors of a nearly sold-out season arriving on December 1.
“There will be a lot of relief for a lot of people,” Tremain said. “This is not a great place to be in winter. Window [to complete the work] It wasn’t very big, but we got there. “
Amid feverish repair work, the Fiordland DOC team is also nearing the end of a 10-year project to replace the 30-year-old Mintaro Hut.
Perched precariously in the shadow of the Mackinnon Pass, the existing cabin was deemed an earthquake hazard.
It took more than five years to find a safer place in this rugged terrain.
“There is always something moving here,” Tremain said.
Southern Lakes Helicopter Chief Pilot Snow Mullally even said that Mintaro Hut was one of the most difficult places he had ever had to land.
Louisa Steyl / Things
Southern Lakes Helicopters lead pilot Snow Mullally (left) and contractor John Henderson review the blueprint for what will become the new Mintaro cabin, where the homeless will spend their first night on the Milford Track.
Contractor John Henderson, or the “off-road construction guru,” as Tremain calls him, has been here with his team for over two months.
He said the biggest challenge was the remoteness of the location, which takes 30 minutes to reach by helicopter.
“It’s the logistics more than anything. There are no cranes or heavy machinery here. It’s a lot of heavy lifting. “
The new cabin takes full advantage of the natural environment to create a building with the highest energy efficiency possible.
The 40-berth cabin is where the homeless spend their second night on the Milford Track and the new building is expected to be completed in March.
