{
mosimage}The tragedy that befell two Australians at Fox Glacier last year should not prevent tourists from enjoying the sight of some of New Zealand’s most pristine environments, say Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC).
Brothers Ashish Miranda, 24, and Akshay Miranda, 22, were crushed under falling ice while visiting Fox Glacier in January 2009. They had ignored warning signs.
In the wake of the deaths, Coroner Richard McElrea has recommended that access to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers be restricted.
The recommendation is “disappointing,” said the FMC in a media release. President Richard Davies said it was a tragedy that two young men died while enjoying New Zealand’s magnificent landscape, but it should not lead to “a knee-jerk reaction” and keep visitors out.
National Park attractions such as Fox and Franz Josef are popular and loved by climbers, skiers and trampers as well as tourists, because they are in an untamed wilderness, Davies said.
“This natural landscape is no place for steel barriers and security guards.”
While the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides excellent information on hazards found in the most frequented locations, the FMC says inexperienced tourists should take advantage of the skills and experience of guiding companies.
“In some popular places, including the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, hazards are already fenced off to ensure people’s safety. We can’t keep building bigger fences,” Davies said.
Rory Newsam, spokesman for the Department of Conservation, said hundreds of thousands of people come through the park safely each year because they heed the warnings.
“It is a national park .. we can only warn them as to what to do. We can’t tell them they can’t go there because they have a right to. It is part of New Zealand’s national heritage and if they want to walk through, they can,” he said.
Since the 2008 tragedy, DOC has reviewed safety warnings and procedures twice, and has made extensive changes that leave visitors in no doubt as to the dangers in the area.
Newsam says it has worked. “We are getting a lot more compliance.”
DOC will be advising the Minister of Conservation, Kate Wilkinson, on the coroner’s recommendations.
Brothers Ashish Miranda, 24, and Akshay Miranda, 22, were crushed under falling ice while visiting Fox Glacier in January 2009. They had ignored warning signs.
In the wake of the deaths, Coroner Richard McElrea has recommended that access to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers be restricted.
The recommendation is “disappointing,” said the FMC in a media release. President Richard Davies said it was a tragedy that two young men died while enjoying New Zealand’s magnificent landscape, but it should not lead to “a knee-jerk reaction” and keep visitors out.
National Park attractions such as Fox and Franz Josef are popular and loved by climbers, skiers and trampers as well as tourists, because they are in an untamed wilderness, Davies said.
“This natural landscape is no place for steel barriers and security guards.”
While the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides excellent information on hazards found in the most frequented locations, the FMC says inexperienced tourists should take advantage of the skills and experience of guiding companies.
“In some popular places, including the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, hazards are already fenced off to ensure people’s safety. We can’t keep building bigger fences,” Davies said.
Rory Newsam, spokesman for the Department of Conservation, said hundreds of thousands of people come through the park safely each year because they heed the warnings.
“It is a national park .. we can only warn them as to what to do. We can’t tell them they can’t go there because they have a right to. It is part of New Zealand’s national heritage and if they want to walk through, they can,” he said.
Since the 2008 tragedy, DOC has reviewed safety warnings and procedures twice, and has made extensive changes that leave visitors in no doubt as to the dangers in the area.
Newsam says it has worked. “We are getting a lot more compliance.”
DOC will be advising the Minister of Conservation, Kate Wilkinson, on the coroner’s recommendations.
