'Extreme' fire risk closes road through NZ's largest farm

Thursday, 7 February 2019

Looking south across an isolated flat, in the middle of the Molesworth.

The road that winds through New Zealand's largest farm will close to the public from Sunday due to 'extreme' fire risk.

The Acheron Rd, through the South Island's Molesworth Station, will shut down a month early after a hot, dry summer left it with a large amount of tinder dry growth.

A warm and wet winter and spring has left Molesworth with plenty of vegetation, which has dried out over summer.

The road links the Awatere Valley, in Marlborough, with Hanmer Springs, in Canterbury, giving drivers another option on their journey between the two neighbouring regions.

Department of Conservation South Marlborough operations manager Phil Bradfield said Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) had advised the fire risk had become extremely high in South Marlborough, particularly in Molesworth.

* Column: Routes to the past - the Acheron Rd through high country Marlborough

* Column: Cob homes a reminder of our early history**

'Having received advice from FENZ, we agree that the fire risk is becoming too high and protecting the values of Molesworth are paramount,' he said.

Public safety was also considered when making the decision to close the Acheron Rd, Bradfield said.

'Fire is a major threat to all the values of Molesworth, and movement of people and vehicles adds considerably to the fire risk,' he said.

'We need to eliminate those risks, and the best way to do that is to close the road.'

One of the biggest fire threats to the region were hot engines stopping on the side of the road, which could spark a fire, Bradfield said.

'It's also not unknown that people driving through are smokers, and throw their cigarette butts out onto the side of the road,' he said.

'A lot of people also stop for picnics and kick up a camp cooker.'

Bradfield said Molesworth and the Clarence catchment were 'one of the driest places in New Zealand', making them a strong fire risk.

'We also had a very wet and warm winter and spring, which contributed to a large amount of vegetation growth, which is now dry fuel for a fire,' he said.

A fire could cause devastating damage to the reserve's diverse and significant native plant life and farm pasture, Bradfield said.

'Molesworth is an area of national ecological significance, with over 70 threatened native plant species, a quarter of which are acutely threatened,' he said.

Signage warning motorists of the closure would be placed at the Hanmer Springs and State Highway 1 turnoffs, he said.

Bradfield said DOC would continue to monitor the situation and work with FENZ to determine when the road could be reopened to the public.

It could reopen if Molesworth saw rain in the next month, or if fire levels dropped below certain trigger points, he said.

'However, given the long-term forecast for Marlborough through to autumn, it's unlikely that the road will be reopened soon,' he said.

Work towards the road closure began earlier in the week, and was not prompted by the Nelson fire, Bradfield said.

The Acheron Rd opened to the public each year from October to March, depending on the weather, but fire risks had closed it early three times in the last 12 years, he said.

The road became a popular alternate highway after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake saw drivers seek refuge from the over-worked Lewis Pass route.

Travellers could check the latest road status on the Molesworth Station and Acheron Road pages of the DOC website.