IS TOURISM’S TIME UP IN OUR NATIONAL PARKS?
FORMER PARK ranger turned tourism sustainability consultant Dave Bamford reckons the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the country’s leading examples of tourism done badly.
The crossing is rated as one of the top 10 day hikes in the world, but Bamford says there are too many tourists walking it. The result is too much environmental, social and cultural damage.
Other trouble spots are Hooker Valley in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and the glaciers of Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
In December 2020, Bamford
