Molesworth Station road to reopen

The Acheron Road through Molesworth Station is to reopen from 7am this Friday, 22 March, after sufficient rain fell to reduce the fire danger.

The road will be open until the end of its open season – Sunday 7 April.

‘We’re very pleased the conditions have allowed us to reopen the road over the long Easter weekend,’ says Department of Conservation South Marlborough Area Manager Dave Hayes.

‘Easter has traditionally been a popular time to travel through Molesworth Station’.

The road had been closed on 12 March due to the high fire danger in the station at the time.

The gates to the road will be open from 7am until 7pm. Visitors are asked to take extra care with flammable items such as cigarette butts to avoid igniting fires, and no fires are permitted at any time.

People wanting more information about travelling the road, can call DOC’s South Marlborough Area Office, ph (03) 572 9100, or ask at visitor centres in the region.

The journey through the station can be made as a day trip, taking around six hours between Blenheim and Hanmer, or people can camp overnight near the Molesworth Cob Cottage and Acheron Accommodation House. If you are making a round trip through Rainbow Station to St Arnaud, a 4WD vehicle is required. This is a toll road that is open from 26 December until 1 April.

Several tracks provide opportunity to get out of vehicles and enjoy short walks with panoramic views.

–Ends–

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>