Mauao park ranger Mark Ray is warning security guards will be brought back to monitor the closed tracks if people continue breaching barriers.

Barriers are still in place at a small section of Mauao's base track and access to the Oruahine track, which leads to the summit along Mauao's northern face, facing Matakana Island, also remains closed.

Mark Ray says the tracks on Mauao that remain closed account for less than 20 per cent of the mountain's total walking tracks. Photo by Bruce Barnard.

Security guards were hired to stop people accessing Mauao when it was completely closed following the January 29 storm when extensive slips occurred.
Mark says guards may be back to monitor closed tracks during the weekend as thousands of visitors are expected to arrive in the city this Easter, and hiking around Mauao is always a popular activity for them.
Mark says too many people are putting themselves in danger by breaching barriers to access damaged tracks.
Mark is aware of one instance where a group of walkers, one pushing a baby in a pram, were seen trying to navigate around a fallen rock on a stretch of closed track.
'If something did go wrong, there is a 15m to 18m fall down to the shore,” says Mark.
'And what happens is that others see them doing that and they think the tracks are open so they follow.”
Mark says if the number or reported breaches gets too high, he will bring security guards back – a cost of thousands every weekend out of his annual operations budget.
'It's very, very expensive and the same people who are breaching the barriers are probably the same people who complain about wasting ratepayer money on security guards.”