Further reserve closures and advice about coping with smoke

Following consultation with the Principal Rural Fire Officer, Nelson City Council is temporarily closing public access to further reserves and tracks.

These precautions are necessary to support the emergency response to the fire in Tasman.

The key risk is around the safety of people being caught should a fire break out. 

With the extremely dry conditions, prevailing winds, slope and nature of the vegetation, a fire would spread uphill extremely quickly, making evacuation very difficult.

These measures reduce the risk of needing to divert resources away from the current fire emergency in Tasman.
The following tracks and reserves will be closed to the public effective immediately:
 

CONSERVATION RESERVES

• Maitai Water Reserve
• Roding Water Reserve
• Marsden Valley Reserve
• Venner Reserve
• Brook Conservation Reserve, including Eureka Park
• Titoki Reserve

LANDSCAPE RESERVES 

• Grampians Reserve
• Tantragee Reserve, including all of Codgers Mountain Bike Area
• Botanical Hill, including all tracks to the Centre of New Zealand
• Atmore Reserve
• Hanby Park
• Highview Reserve
• Pipers Reserve
• Sir Stanley Whitehead Park
• Tasman Heights Reserve
• Bolwell Reserve
• Stoke Reservoir Reserve (behind the Nelson Christian College)

OTHER CLOSURES 

• The Dun Mountain Trail
• Maitai Walkway from Sunday Hole (Gibbs Bridge) through to the Maitai Water Reserve

  
Please stay out of these reserves for your own safety. Council will advise when it is considered safe to access these areas again.  If you see signs of smoke or fire in any reserves please call 111 immediately.

Coping with smoke over the region
The Medical officer of Health has the following advice regarding the smoke from the Pigeon Valley Fire currently settling over the region.

People with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or other lung disease are at greatest risk from smoke inhalation. People with angina or other heart diseases might also be at greater risk.

People with these conditions should avoid exposure to smoke if possible. If you have any of these conditions and you are being exposed to smoke you should:

• remain indoors
• close all the windows and door
• turn off ventilation, air conditioning and heating systems that draw in air from outside until the plume has dispersed or moved away, and you can no longer smell smoke.

Keep up to date with the latest advice from Nelson Marlborough Public Health website.