Letter to the Editor of the Otago Daily Times 24th July 2012:
I have been somewhat stunned by the reaction towards the mere discussion of Tunnels and Monorails here in the South West for all strong talk of Wrecking Fiordland and the Snowdon Forest there is little actual environmental damage proposed. The Anger expressed really seems to be about the presence of Tourists in places they are not wanted. I fully understand the annoyance that Queenstown is creaming off all the lucrative Asian bus tour markets and the need for them to have a quicker trip to Milford Sound is very desirable but in the big picture it really is just annoying, there is no real moral argument.
As for the Monorail, I recall telling them the last time they raised it up the Flagpole in ‘05
that if they where proposing a 19th century steam train rolling across the river flats of the Snowdon forest people would probably actually warm to it where as a Hi-Tech Monorail might be comfortable inside it looks like it’s presence in a rugged wilderness area would sit very uncomfortably outside especially as monorails are intended as a mass transit system for cities like Las Vegas. It just doesn't fit here.
Personally I think it’s great to have people looking at our scenery, the more the better, Lest not for get that it was the Tourist industry that put up the biggest fuss & Biggest deterrent to the proposed Raising of Lake Manapouri.
If Queenstown & Wanaka want to invest in refining the product we should encourage them, if there not too crazy.
Or they could just end up like the Southland District, beating tourists off with a big stick and then lamenting that they can’t live forever off property speculation alone.
I have been somewhat stunned by the reaction towards the mere discussion of Tunnels and Monorails here in the South West for all strong talk of Wrecking Fiordland and the Snowdon Forest there is little actual environmental damage proposed. The Anger expressed really seems to be about the presence of Tourists in places they are not wanted. I fully understand the annoyance that Queenstown is creaming off all the lucrative Asian bus tour markets and the need for them to have a quicker trip to Milford Sound is very desirable but in the big picture it really is just annoying, there is no real moral argument.
As for the Monorail, I recall telling them the last time they raised it up the Flagpole in ‘05
that if they where proposing a 19th century steam train rolling across the river flats of the Snowdon forest people would probably actually warm to it where as a Hi-Tech Monorail might be comfortable inside it looks like it’s presence in a rugged wilderness area would sit very uncomfortably outside especially as monorails are intended as a mass transit system for cities like Las Vegas. It just doesn't fit here.
Personally I think it’s great to have people looking at our scenery, the more the better, Lest not for get that it was the Tourist industry that put up the biggest fuss & Biggest deterrent to the proposed Raising of Lake Manapouri.
If Queenstown & Wanaka want to invest in refining the product we should encourage them, if there not too crazy.
Or they could just end up like the Southland District, beating tourists off with a big stick and then lamenting that they can’t live forever off property speculation alone.
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