Comment: Okere Falls zipline a winner for looking out for the environment

The first rapids on the Kaituna River. Photo / file

COMMENT:

Imagine swooshing over the Kaituna River as you hang from a line, feet dangling above the water, the wind in your face and the sounds of the rapids crashing below you.

It's a view usually restricted to the avian creatures living in our forests - but one that could soon be available to us land-dwellers.

A group calling themselves Okere Adventures has proposed building a zipline at the Okere Scenic Reserve, zig-zagging across the river and through the forest.

The beauty of the proposal is the minimal impact it should have on the area's natural features - build a few platforms, string some lines between them and hey presto! we've got a new tourist hotspot within close reach of both Tauranga and Rotorua.

Being airborne means fewer feet trampling our native plants and creepy-crawlies, and less likelihood of littering and intentional damage from careless explorers.

On the face of it, it seems like the perfect business.

Ecotourism is a growing market as travellers increasingly become aware of the irreversible impact commercial mass tourism has had on some of the world's premier heritage and ecological destinations.

For example, Thailand's Maya Bay, which featured on the movie The Beach, was closed after 5000 visitors a day damaged the coral.

Machu Picchu and Dubrovnik have introduced strict rules in an attempt to limit an overwhelming number of visitors, and Venice will fine tourists who are caught in acts such as littering or damaging buildings.

I remember my trip to Bali last year. My husband and I had dreams of a picturesque beach holiday, frolicking in waves and drinking cocktails in the sun. Alas, these dreams were dashed when we dipped our toes unto the ocean and felt the rubbish clinging to our skin like seaweed.

It would be a travesty to see this happening in New Zealand.

Ventures that both contribute to our economy and preserve our natural attractions should be encouraged, and I hope to see Okere Adventures succeed in their bid to bring such an activity to the Bay.