Fiordland Advocate - Te Anau What If...

Posted 13th February 2014 to the Fiordland Advocate Te Anau

I like your Devil’s Advocate Speculation about 1960s Tomarrow-land Monorail Projects getting the Go Ahead.
I wouldn’t get too excited as Queenstown has thrown up a lot of grandiose projects that got a green light
But have fallen over before they got of the Proverbial wayside.

But If one could go back in time and Write a “What if” Scenario
There is a lot of stuff we just would never see coming. What if Fontera never formed, what if Roger Douglas wasn’t Born, What is Auckland was only a Provincial City.
Life in New Zealand would be a whole lot different today.

As for Fiordland... What if the Cave Creek Disaster Never Happened to the Department of Conservation.
And What if the Milford Road was Never Sealed. What if the Christchurch Earthquake didn’t scare all those Rich Tourists on to Cruise Ships... That would be like Science Fiction because everything would now be unrecognisable to us!

There is one “What if” I asked Bob Robertson the First Time he showed up with his Monorail... What if... you used the Kingston Flyer instead Bob?
 Bob could go green and recycle ! 

Fiordland Adocate - Queenstown Haast Link

Posted to the Fiordland Advocate 2 November 2013

Putting on my Devils ADVOCATE Hat I would like to throw in a 2 cent observation about the Hollyford Road and the Monorail...

From an Engineering Perspective surely they have got the whole thing back to front...  A high speed highway would be far better suited from Mavora to Te Anau Downs

As it is relatively easy terrain and far less likely to be flooded than the Hollyford Pyke area where as a Monorail in the Hollyford- Pyke would be way-better suited to that problematic landscape than a Roadway and Ironically cause less invasive Human activity to the World Heritage Wilderness.

And one could argue that if a Wakatipu Te Anau Downs Road was serviced by Car Ferry Instead of Passenger Ferry it is likely that a return trip Via the Scenic towns of Fiordland and Northern Southland would be a higher priority than a double back trip.

In any event If construction of the monorail project and Mavora Settlement (to Service the Round the Mountain Bike Trail) takes place the whole backcountry road system will need to the upgraded, Power and Bridges installed so there will be more traffic in that quarter and whole the dynamics of tourism will indeed shift.

That goes for the Hollyford-Pyke too.

Beware of unintended consequences, the Devil is in the details, especially if they BOTH go ahead!