KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand public is being given access to the country's high country not seen in decades as the Government claws back huge areas of farmland for public use.
But recreation groups say not enough people are taking advantage of the South Island countryside that has been opened
up.
In recent weeks the Government has announced the acquisition of land from some of the South Island's most historic farming stations to allow extensions to existing reserves and new access for the likes of tramping, skiing and sightseeing, alongside important conservation work.
The Government announced this week that at South Canterbury's iconic Mesopotamia farming station, 20,863ha of the 26,115ha area - which doubled as the kingdom of Edoras in the Lord of the Rings films - is being converted into public conservation land via the tenure review process.
The process allows large areas of land leased for farming to be bought back by the Government, while the farmers are able to gain areas of freehold land in return.
Figures obtained by the Weekend Herald show that between 1990 and the financial year ending last June 30, 227,631ha of pastoral lease land had either been transferred to the Department of Conservation, or was in the process of being transferred, from tenure review or direct purchases.
DoC high country spokesman Jeff Connell said the Government had been clear when it established a series of goals for the high country in 2004.
These included a direction for creating more parks and reserves.
With public access dwindling, it had been crucial to ensure more access was available for the enjoyment of such beautiful countryside.
"There used to be a tradition of more open access," Mr Connell said. "But in recent years, because of a combination of issues including health and safety liabilities, diversified commercial use and more motor vehicle ownership, high country runholders as a group have been less willing to grant free public access."
Brendon Ward, chief executive of the New Zealand Recreation Association, said it was fantastic so many new opportunities were being opened up, but not enough people were getting to experience it.
"My sense at the moment is that the number of people that actually use it, and have the skills and knowledge to be able to use it, is reasonably limited."
The challenge was to get people accessing open space "that is a bit more remote and further afield", with better education and more information.
An Outdoor Recreation review involving various groups is currently under way to look at what is available for recreational opportunities and how they can be accessed.
