Protect Wanaka 
High-end tourists, not freeloaders, our best future [Stuff, 14/01/20]
OPINION: Hopscotching my way through the wide and lonely wilderness of the mighty Maniototo last week, I was swooning over this landscape of awe and saga.
The summer crowd crush synonymous with Queenstown, Wānaka and the Mackenzie was a world away.
Traversing State Highway 85, the Pig Route, which connects Palmerston with Alexandra, was a surprisingly blissful, clutter-free drive. I crossed paths with just three campervans, two caravans and one car hauling a boat, throughout the 165-kilometre route.
Increasing tourism numbers in Central Otago have to lead to debate around air travel in the region. (Video first published in October 2018)
READ MORE ON STUFF:
* Tourism is ruining what makes New Zealand special, report says
* Too many tourists: Should we limit visitor numbers to NZ?
* Real Journeys: From Fiordland Travel to tourism giant
* Growing pains for tourism owner operators as visitor numbers boom
* New Zealand’s most iconic mountains to see before you die
