A new fence around a popular historic church in Tekapō is helping to control tourists, the vicar says.
Tourists visit at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapō. Photo: Caroll Simcox
Vicar Andrew McDonald said about 600,000 people visited the Church of the Good Shepherd each year, and the local congregation had long struggled with tourists wandering into the church during services, including weddings and funerals.
He said the surrounding natural landscape was also being trampled.
The Mackenzie District Council was working on a permanent fix, which included landscaping, reducing the size of the carpark and encouraging people to park further away to reduce the problems.
In the meantime Mr McDonald said a temporary net fence installed just before Christmas had helped to take some of the pressure off the site.
Photo: Supplied / Caroll Simcox
Mr McDonald said people would still be able to visit the church between 9am and 5pm, but a barrier could be put up to block entry during services.
"Well, certainly we can manage the crowds a little more around busy times such as worship events or weddings, so that if the crowds in the carpark are a little bit too large, we can actually close the gates and give the wedding party a little bit of privacy."
Mr McDonald said locking the gate at night meant the land around the church had some more time to regrow and recover, but long-term solutions were still needed.
