DOC Walks closures and updates
Issued 18/03/2023.
Your safety is your responsibility. Follow the land safety codes simple rules to help you stay safe; choose the right trip for you, understand the weather, pack warm clothes and extra food, share your plans and take ways to get help and take care of yourself and each other.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is correct at the time of writing. Always check the latest updates on www.doc.govt.nz or at the nearest DOC Visitor Centre before you head out.
Bridle Track (Denniston) – Closed - Due to major slips and subsidence the track remains closed until further notice.
Britannia Track (Denniston) – Closed – Due to a large slip around 1.2 km from the carpark and resulting large overhang above the slip the track remains closed until further notice.
Charming Creek South Walkway – Closed – Due to a very large slip on the track closed until further notice.
Conns Creek Road (Denniston) – partially closed – Conns creek road is closed due to maintenance on the water supply BDC are managing the road, no access at present to the bottom of the Denniston incline.
Hari Hari Coastal Walkway - Partially closed - The Wanganui River section of the Harihari Coastal Walk has been closed due to ongoing flood damage. The walkway cannot be completed as a loop. The Poerua River section is open and gives access to the coastline.
Heaphy Track – partially Open - The track is closed between Heaphy Hut and James Mackay Hut until further notice. The track between Brown Hut and James Mackay Hut is open starting from Golden Bay. The track from Kohaihai to Heaphy Hut is open starting from West Coast.
Ōpārara Basin - Crazy Paving Cave - Caving Paving Cave will be closed to visitors from 1 June 2022 for 12 months. The adjacent Box Canyon cave will remain open. Crazy Paving Cave is home to the rare and unique Nelson cave spider. Surveys of the spiders and their egg sacs show their numbers are decreasing in this cave which may be due to the number of human visitors. The closure will allow monitoring of the of spider populations’ response to the removal of human visitors.
Ōparara Arch Track upgrade work - Work is underway to upgrade sections of the Ōparara Arch Track. Visitors are asked to take care when walking along this track.
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track - Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Walk is partially closed until further notice to allow for geotechnical monitoring. The closed section is signposted – do not go beyond the barriers. The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are still accessible.