| Craigieburn Forest Park | |
| Map: | New Zealand |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Map Alt: | New Zealand relief map |
| Label: | Craigieburn Forest Park |
| Label Position: | right |
| Location: | South Island, New Zealand |
| Nearest City: | Greymouth |
| Coordinates: | -43.1527°N 171.7315°W |
| Governing Body: | Department of Conservation |
Craigieburn Forest Park is a protected area in the South Island of New Zealand, adjacent to Arthur's Pass National Park to the north.[1] [2]
The park is administered by the Department of Conservation, and features the Broken River Ski Area and the Craigieburn Valley Ski Area. The park is popular for a range of recreational activities, particularly for people from Christchurch.[3]
The forest park covers of mostly mountainous landscape. One of its boundaries lies in part alongside State Highway 73 and is adjacent to the eastern flanks of the Southern Alps.
There is a range of vegetation, including mountain beech on lower areas. The bush provides a habitat for the tītīpounamu (rifleman), korimako (bellbird), miromiro (tomtit) and riroriro (grey warbler). During summer, pikirangi (native mistletoe) produce red flowers in the tree canopy.
On higher area, native tussock and other ground-covering plants dominate.
Craigieburn Forest Park was established in 1967.[4] The New Zealand Forest Service used the area as an experimental forestry area, and planted wilding pines (pinus contorta) in the 1960s for erosion control.[5]
In the 2010s, the wilding pines were recognised as a fire risk. They were spreading quickly and threatening nearby native plantings, with seeds blowing up to 30 kilometres. By 2020, wilding pines were expected to cover 25% of New Zealand by 2035 to 2050 if action wasn't taken.[6]
In 2020, the Department of Conservation began trying to eradicate wilding pines from the ground, including taking out conifer seedlings by hand. At Mount Bruce, chainsaws were used to cut down 30 hectares of mature Douglas Fir and helicopters were used to fly the wood out.[7]
Craigieburn Valley Track begins beside the Craigieburn Valley ski field road, 1.5 km from State Highway 73, and passes through mountain beech forest until it reaches alpine tussocks near the ski field huts and car park.
From 1948 until the road was built in 1961 this was the only access to the Craigieburn Valley ski field. Materials for the early ski-field huts carried up this track.
The track is 4.5 km one way, taking 1–2 hours. A circuit, returning via the ski field road, takes 2–3 hours. There is a risk of avalanches.
This tramp crosses the Cass saddle (1326 meters high) before descending to the comfortable 20 bunk Hamilton Hut. On the second day, after crossing over the Hamilton Creek (via a three-wire bridge) and the Harper river (via a swing bridge), the track meanders up the Harper river passing the Harper Hut before crossing the Lagoon saddle.[8] Near the top of the saddle stands the Lagoon Saddle shelter, built in an A frame style. The track then descends Mount Bruce to the car park at Cora Lynn.
It is a very popular weekend trip as it is easily accessible from Christchurch. It is suitable for experienced trampers only. It is roughly 34 kilometers long and climbs and descends a total of 2100 meters.[9]
The Camp Saddle tracks are mountain tracks, with the danger of extreme weather, avalanches and rockfall.
There is walking access to the Broken River and Craigieburn ski field basins during summer months. The areas are harsh and alpine, and there are no marked routes above the bush-line. Fit trampers will be able to get to the main ridge and rocky peaks, while other walkers may prefer the lower bush.