A remote mountain camera in the Nelson Lakes National Park will track terrain and key slopes for the possibility of avalanches at a popular hut.
Positioned above the Angelus Hut and Rotomaninitua/Lake Angelus, the camera is part of the NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) initiative to improve user safety in the area.
The camera has a one-year trial with the intention of becoming permanent.
The area is known for being a challenging area for avalanche forecasting, but MSC chief executive Mike Daisley said the camera would allow forecasters to assess the “snow coverage across a range of terrain aspects and elevations”.
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Data from the camera would significantly improve the New Zealand Avalanche Advisory.
The tracks into Angelus Hut had long been identified as an area of focus for MSC and the Department of Conservation (DOC), Daisley said.
Supplied/Supplied
New remote weather camera for Nelson Lakes National Park is built to withstand curious kea as well as harsh alpine conditions.
He said the camera would benefit more than just avalanche forecasters, it would also provide general weather conditions and updates.
Nelson Lakes National Park DOC operations manager John Wotherspoon said the camera would be a vital tool for the visitor centre staff to inform trampers of “true conditions”.
“It’s easy to underestimate conditions deeper in the park,” Wotherspoon said.
“Many people look up at the north facing slope of Pourangahau/Mt Robert which can be seen from the village and think those are the same conditions they’ll experience further along the ridge, but that is not the case.”
Martin de Ruyter
The new camera is located above the Angelus Hut and Rotomaninitua/Lake Angelus (File photo)
Often through winter trampers in the area will look towards the northern faces, which can be almost free of snow, and can’t picture what it’s like. Within a few hours into the route, they could find themselves in “increasing deeper snow”, Wotherspoon said.
Having the camera installed is “useful” as it opens up aspects of the area that were hard to forecast.
Wotherspoon said they would like another camera up installed but this time one which faces north.
Routes to Angelus Hut had been known to have rapid weather changes in just an hour. In 2021, two trampers got caught in icy conditions 700m from Angelus Hut.
DOC and MSC thanked local iwi Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō for their support of the camera.
The camera had been designed to withstand the harsh elements up in the park, including the presence of inquisitive kea.
