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A new route to Asbestos Cottage in Kahurangi National Park opened Saturday, restoring safe public access to the popular heritage hut after asbestos contamination was found on the previous track and around the cottage.
The new route was created after sampling identified unsafe levels of asbestos in soil on the former track and traces of asbestos in the hut.
Department of Conservation Golden Bay operations manager Ross Trotter says the hut has now been decontaminated and contaminated areas around it remediated, making it safe for visitors to return.
Ross says Asbestos Cottage is an important heritage site and a popular overnight destination.
“We’re looking forward to people being able to get out naturing in the area again. It’s an accessible walk through a great part of the country,” Ross says.
The new route, named Asbestos Cottage Track, runs from Cobb Ridge to the hut and on to Lower Junction Track, allowing trampers to avoid the former asbestos mine site.
The track begins from a new starting point on Cobb Dam Road near the information shelter, rather than the previous access point. It follows 2.5km of the existing Cobb Ridge Route before branching onto a new 2km section through tussock and native beech forest to the cottage and Lower Junction.
Ross says the route is an advanced track with some steep and rough sections, suitable for well-equipped trampers, and is expected to take around two hours at an average walking pace.
The former route has been removed from the track network and its signage taken down. Ross says visitors should avoid the old track and the surrounding mine area because of the potential health risks posed by asbestos.
