First hiker charged in New Zealand with entering quarantined kauri forest

Maximum penalties in the tens of thousands of dollars apply for using routes that are closed to contain dieback disease

A hiker in New Zealand has become the first to be charged with walking on closed tracks in the Waitakere ranges, violating a ban put in place to stop the devastating spread of a fungal disease called kauri dieback.

Potential fines of tens of thousands of dollars apply for repeatedly using the tracks, which are closed to the public to let the forest recover from a disease that kills the majority of kauri trees it infects.