Offroad-Express

The Land Owner has locked the Gate at Loch Katrine for Lambing. So no current Access.

Cheers

Graham

any idea how long it's usually locked for?
Thanks.
Greg.

I would imagine about 6 weeks. So Mid to end of November. DOC wont be issuing any permits until its clear anyway.

Cheers

Graham

Years ago I have given my fishing licence number to doc, to gain access through their gate beside lock Katrine during lambing season.
Jeremy

The gate currently has the combination lock and a Pad lock.

Does anyone know the latest on Lake Sumner Access?

Late Dec my father rung DoC to enquire about access through the Katrine Gate and they say they no longer handle it but the Council does and gave him the number of the person to call – Phipps - Land holder up there on the Lakes Station. SO he Rung them and got told that there is no longer vehicle access available to sumner past Loch Katrine, but you can go through their farm to the outlet for $50 per vehicle.

I went into Katrine on the weekend and see there is signage up at the first gate after camping area not allowing camping along Taylor without permission, and its all pretty sedate up there with new signs and less campers scattered around.

Should a land holder be the one responsible to allow or decline access to public land? I would consider that it should be administered by some one neutral rather than some one with a private interest??

What's up? Interested to know more.

The land owner is a man named Ted phillps, he is a normal person
and would be willing to let people have access to all parts of the area, including his property, but as we all hear about the are a few there spoil it for everyone,
he has had sleep shoot, horses shoot, the flat where he musters
is the only grazing on the side of his station,
and any who has been there of late, would tell 4x4 has make it unpassable
in a normal farm truck, don`t no if was he is doing is right, but solves his problem.

The heavy gate locked by Combination Lock was placed there by DOC and beyond this gate was by DOC permit only.
Because of the hassles they have had with the gate DOC were going to remove it, It would then leave the situation the Mr Phipps would need to protect his own boundary line.
There is a legal road up there and unless the road has been stopped then the gate there now is illegal. Having said that it is very likely that the road in places crosses into private land and Mr Phipps has every right to block access at that point.
HDC would then be required to form a road past this point on their legal road reserve.
Combined 4WD will be discussing this at their next meeting and trying to arrange a meeting with HDC, DOC and Mr Phipps.
I'm sure Fish and Game will be working on a solution as well.

Ted is a family friend for over 40 - 50 years. He has worked that station longer than I have been born. I spent a large part of my youth up in those hills/lakes. He's a good old bloke but a hard old bastard as well and has been known to give warnings shots and set the dogs on "trespassers". He has had to deal with poachers (fish, eels, honey, you name it) rustlers, vandals, thieves, drug growers, threats to his property, his family and himself, people shooting dogs, stock and anything else, weekend idiots with guns 4x4’s and to much booze and no respect, greeny walkers that shit on the side of tracks and leave rubbish. The one local copper is a long distance away so he has to deal with it himself. Now DOC, HDD, Game and Fish, etc etc are up his arse (for good and bad) restricting where even he can go and what he can do.

Recently my father was up there had all the keys and authority from the Ted, DoC tried to turn him back, even with land owner authority, they couldn't do anything about it but they tried.

While most talk about Ted has been respectful, bordering on a bit angry about locking the gates, he’s locking the gates to protect his income, his farm, and the environment he loves. He’s not doing it to restrict anyone for the sake of being a prick; if he didn’t police it himself the whole area would be ruined.

IMHO $50 for access into the Lakes Station would be $ well spent. Give the old bugger a bottle of whiskey, drop off some fish and sit down to listen to some stories, would be well worth it.

Rant Over

right on bubba, i always give a bottle of whiskey away, great way to get where alot of folks are told to bugger off.

OVERSZ wrote:The heavy gate locked by Combination Lock was placed there by DOC and beyond this gate was by DOC permit only.
Because of the hassles they have had with the gate DOC were going to remove it, It would then leave the situation the Mr Phipps would need to protect his own boundary line.
There is a legal road up there and unless the road has been stopped then the gate there now is illegal. Having said that it is very likely that the road in places crosses into private land and Mr Phipps has every right to block access at that point.
HDC would then be required to form a road past this point on their legal road reserve.
Combined 4WD will be discussing this at their next meeting and trying to arrange a meeting with HDC, DOC and Mr Phipps.
I'm sure Fish and Game will be working on a solution as well.

Can you update this when new info is available please Graham?
Haven't been in there for years and wouldn't mind going before winter if poss.

Cheers.

Yeah...a very interesting read that. The media have depicted Ted Phipps as very 'unaccommodating'.

He may be that way (which would be wrong), or he may be actually not too bad as indicated earlier in the thread and the vandalism by some morons are stuffing things up for the rest of us.

Reads like there is a distinct legality with the gate that DOC have stepped aside from. Hopefully Combined will sort it.

I know of others that have a paper road running through there property, most are normal every day folks,
and i hve seen first hand that lack of respect, and care for stock
and there belongings.
yes it may be the law to access there areas but as state in the article 2% is all he has issues with, as clubs it is our place to stop this as we all get tared with the same brush.
put yourself in Teds boots, 5000 Hectares is a lot to watch over 24/7 not saying was he has done is right but it is a simple answer to his problem

Blimmin hard for a landowner to differentiate which 4wd is a club truck and which isn't unfortunately.

I get the impression if i bowl up with a bottle of scotch it'll be in vain . I could always camp somewhere else and drink it mind you.

the clubs should be the ones who asked first

The Council have a simple solution if they have the guts to apply it. They have the power to require a landowner to fence the legal road boundary.
That would solve most problems.

www.walkingaccess.govt.nz/page/6/Publications.html

Roading law as it applies to unformed roads
Published March 2007
This commentary explains the nature of the "Queen's highway", what the free right of passage is, the special character of roads along rivers, lakes and the sea, as well as some historical perspective.

was up there this weekend it dose look like a fence line is getting put in close to locked gate not to sure how far this is going tho

Twodiffs wrote:Blimmin hard for a landowner to differentiate which 4wd is a club truck and which isn't unfortunately.

I get the impression if i bowl up with a bottle of scotch it'll be in vain . I could always camp somewhere else and drink it mind you.

Call him first. Offer the scotch as payment, I'm sure that'd work. Always has for me.

The Council have a simple solution if they have the guts to apply]it. They have the power to require a landowner to fence the legal road boundary.
That would solve most problems.

that would be one big fence the distance from the entrance of lake station to the lock would have to be a couple of kms
the cost would be thousands.

hey guys, has any one been up this way lately, someone said to me it was locked from lake taylor . you could only walk in from there to lock katrine. is this correct? what is the latest update?

cheers

pressy

Hey mate there is a new gate on the side of loch Katrine just past the old gate that was knocked down, this one was put up by Ted Phipps from "The Lakes". We went up fishing and launched from the loch and went out through the canal.

Jase

Not sure about the gates but I know my Dad has been down their a few times (Sumner, Mason, Taylor) in the last few months. One of the problems is that the tracks have been cut up by yobs with oversized tyres, over and over the same muddy bit of track until it was unpassable (his words). Now we complain because we can't get access

Bubba wrote:Not sure about the gates but I know my Dad has been down their a few times (Sumner, Mason, Taylor) in the last few months. One of the problems is that the tracks have been cut up by yobs with oversized tyres, over and over the same muddy bit of track until it was unpassable (his words). Now we complain because we can't get access

i drove right up to loch katrine with my shiny towing a large boat trailer had to negotiate some big holes but its still drivable by 4x4 but id say a car would struggle

anyone been up lately and know what access to lake Sumner is like and if there letting anyone through?

still locked, please complain the Hurinui concil as legally he cant be doin this as it is a paper road, if we argue enough the gate will come down.

is it locked at lake taylor or after katrine? and yup will b complaining tried going up start of year but couldnt go past katrine was the exact same date as this http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4 ... ss-to-lake

um 2nd lake where the cannel to lake sumner is, bummer really cause use to love going up hunting in there

yea thats loch katrine yea was planning hunting trip up there next month but looks like wont be geting past gate

thought i would drag this thread up.

anyone been up with in the last few months or know what access is like. can u get through to lake Sumner? or still just to loch katrine?

last time i was there (year or so ago)a couple of fancy huts were getting built right up on the hill behind all the batches and i was told was going to be public hut is this true or juts load of crap?