A shuttle operator has been banned from taking visitors to and from Tongariro Alpine Crossing for two weeks after it “potentially put lives at risk” by ignoring a hazardous weather warning, the Department of Conservation (DoC) says.
The company won’t be allowed to operate in Tongariro National Park for two weeks from next Monday until March 22.
The incident leading to the suspension of the company’s permission to operate in the national park occurred on February 7, when the tourism operator transported more than 100 visitors over multiple bus trips to the start of the track for the 20km crossing despite a hazardous weather warning being issued, DoC Tongariro operations manager Libby O’Brien said.
“[This was] an action which potentially put lives at risk.”
DoC wasn’t naming the operator because that would add “an additional layer of punishment we do not consider necessary” but after the February 7 incident two rival transport operators complained to the Herald that Tongariro Expeditions had run multiple services to the volcanic plateau crossing despite a hazardous weather advisory issued for the day.
Tongariro Expeditions declined to comment today.
Another transport operator posted a message on Facebook to say the ban “does NOT relate to us”.
“We are operating as normal,” Ruapehu Scenic Shuttles wrote.
Hazardous weather advisories are issued by Niwa and can be triggered by high wind speeds, low temperatures, heavy rainfall and snow.
Anyone wanting to use public conservation land to run a business or activity must get permission from DoC in the form of a concession, and those failing to comply with concession conditions - including not operating when hazardous weather advisories are in place - can have their concession revoked.
However, the decision to issue the company a two-week suspension was not taken lightly, and was the first time such an action had taken place, O’Brien said.
“All operators have agreed, as part of their concessions, not to operate when a hazardous weather warning has been issued for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This is for the safety of our visitors and ceasing operations is not optional.
“Despite having been warned last year after a similar breach, this operator chose to knowingly violate the terms of its concession and put lives at risk.”
The company was the only one to have broken the rules, and other transport providers would be operating as usual during the company’s suspension, she said.
“Its actions are unfair to all the other operators following the rules and working to keep our manuhiri safe.”
O’Brien also sent a warning to operators in December amid fears walkers were being taken to the crossing in potentially dangerous conditions.
“Hundreds of manuhiri [visitors, were] on buses ready to hike the crossing when the bad weather advisory had clearly been applied … I had to make an extremely uncomfortable call to allow buses to take people to the trail start given the huge number of people already at the track”, O’Brien wrote in the December email.
“But I do not want to be in this position again, for the safety of our manuhiri but also because it is wildly unfair for those operators adhering to the rules … it does not matter when the wind picks up - if the advisory is in place, it’s a no-go for that entire day.”
A two-week suspension was appropriate to “persuade this operator to stop breaching the hazardous weather advisory in the future, but not long enough as to have an ongoing negative impact on their business”, O’Brien told the Herald today.
The internationally-known crossing attracted walkers with a range of experience levels, and some would assume conditions were safe if their shuttle operator was willing to drop them off, O’Brien said.
“It is a challenging hike even in good conditions and can be deadly in poor weather.
“Conditions can change quickly, and the hazardous weather advisory gives the best prediction of what might happen during the day … we’re sending a firm message to operators that they need to abide by the rules and put the safety of visitors first.”