Photo: Supplied
Bike trail builders in central Otago are talking about an end to the "dark days" when they ran into a mess of conservation rules, stopping many tracks being built for years.
But just south of them, it's a different story, and a club there that raised $80,000 for a trail has had to give half of it back.
Vaughn Filmer of Te Anau is sounding down about it.
"We had a management agreement with DOC (Department of Conservation) and they pulled the pin and said, 'no, you can't build those'," said Filmer, recounting their bid around 2019 to start on tracks in Snowdon Forest Park.
Te Anau Cycling Incorporated where he is president had spent $10,000-15,000, but gave $40,000 back to a major donor.
"I mean, they sort of said to us, 'when things change and you're able to go, come back to us', but nothing's changed.
"So we haven't gone back to them.
"It just knocked the window out of our sails. We basically, as a club, we haven't done anything since then."
Photo: Supplied
'We appreciate this is frustrating'
Cycle trail builders in Southland and Fiordland are champing under inflexible rules that are tougher than in other places.
All 16 conservation management regions were gummed up for several years, but since a rethink last year 11 have been getting more flexible, albeit s
Continue Reading on RNZ
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.