The latest information on Mount Iron Recreation Reserve in Wānaka.
Welcome to our latest newsletter about Mount Iron Recreation Reserve in Wānaka.
News and views on Mount Iron RMP
A big thank you to all that shared their views on this much-loved landmark - we received 446 submissions from the community on the draft Mount Iron Reserve Management Plan (RMP)!
Read a summary of all the submissions received during the formal consultation.
Or head to Let’s Talk to view the online and written submissions in more detail.
Following the submission period, we had 20 submitters speak at a public hearing on 10 December. Deliberations were held on 11 December. Listen to a recording here.
What's next?
All submissions have now been considered by the hearing panel (three members of the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board) and used to make final changes to the RMP for Mount Iron Recreation Reserve.
The plan will be presented to the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board for recommendation on 27 March and to Full Council for adoption in April 2025.
Conifer control complete
Arne Cleland, member of the UCWTG, GPSing a hot spot zone for wildings in February 2025.
Stage one of the conifer control operation on Mount Iron has been carried out by the Upper Clutha Wilding Tree Group (UCWTG). Any pines still standing are located in challenging terrain and have been drilled and filled with herbicide or booked for removal in autumn.
The group is now in surveillance mode, looking out for conifer seedlings coming up and is keen for the community to get in touch to report sightings.
The UCWTG are working on many areas in urban spaces to control various weeds and are keen for any new volunteers to lend a hand! If you're interested in supporting reach out via uppercluthawildingtreegroup.co.nz
Please note that any control work must go through the group to ensure the health and safety of both the public and volunteers.
Track counter kept busy!
Our track counter showed just how busy the Mount Iron Recreation Reserve was over the new year. Daily numbers for the first week of 2025 averaged 1,000 walking and biking journeys. We know this won’t reflect the total numbers as many people access the reserve from other areas, but it gives us a good indication of how popular Mount Iron is!
The counter is on the trail beside SH84, allowing it to count those walking the Mount Iron Loop Track and those walking and cycling around the bottom of Mount Iron. The data is publicly available to view on the QLDC website: Parks and Walkways - QLDC
Shiny new signs
You may have spotted a bunch of new signs installed on Mount Iron to replace the Department of Conservation (DOC) signs. The signs have been changed to reflect QLDC’s management of all tracks on Mount Iron. Under the agreement reached in 2024, QLDC is also maintaining the tracks on the DOC land at Mount Iron.
No parking for A&P Show
The A&P Show, held in Wānaka on 7-8 March, won't be using Mount Iron as a park and ride this year so please don’t park in the grass area alongside SH84. The lower area of the reserve will be temporarily roped off with signage put up to discourage parking. The shared pathway is a great way to bike or walk to the show.
To find out more about ways to get to the show including bike parking and park and ride options visit the A&P Show website
Reserve closures during summer
Thanks to everyone for their cooperation by not entering Mount Iron Reserve during the part day closures in mid-February.
These were implemented due to fire indices reaching levels which trigger a closure under QLDC’s Wildfire Reserve Closure and Activity Management Protocols. Closing access means we can reduce the potential for a fire to happen, and ensure people are out of harm’s way in the event a fire does start.
As we head into autumn the fire risk reduces but we will continue to monitor weather conditions closely and future closures may be needed if fire indices show an extreme risk of wildfires.
Please be aware that signage will go up at main entry points when closed and will be removed when the area reopens.
Do take a moment to sign up for alerts if you haven’t already by heading to www.qldc.govt.nz/text-alerts and selecting either Queenstown or Wānaka as the location for reserve closures.
To find out more and see the current status of each reserve and how we'll let you know a closure is in place head to www.qldc.govt.nz/managing-wildfire-risk
Map of reserve area to be closed when fire indices reach unsafe levels
Have a question or keen to find out more?
We’re happy to answer questions you may have about the draft Mount Iron Reserve Management Plan, and we’ve got an online Q&A portal available on our Let's Talk page. Check out the questions others have submitted and the answers, or ask your own question here. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
For more details on this project, head to Let's Talk or the QLDC webpage.
