A total of 1155 signs were repaired or replaced in the past three years Photo:
Vandalism to signs is costing the Department of Conservation (DOC) hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
The department has issued a plea for people to stop wrecking its signs, saying they were increasingly being damaged or stolen.
Recent vandalism included signs being riddled with bullets, driven over, or keyed to the point they were unreadable.
More than 900 South Island spots now needed signs repaired or replaced.
A total of 1155 signs had been replaced or repaired in the past three years.
DOC asset inspector Charlie Barnett said he found at least two or three badly damaged signs during his monthly inspection rounds.
Photo: SUPPLIED / DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
"It's really frustrating to see the needless destruction of DOC signage and infrastructure. It is also a safety concern, as people could be walking the tracks while signs are being shot at with projectiles travelling far beyond the eye," he said.
"The signs riddled with bullet holes are usually out in the back country, while closer to town it's mainly graffiti or being knocked over or driven into."
The department had allocated more than $500,000 to repair signs this financial year after spending more than $350,000 during the last financial year.
It maintained almost 27,000 signs around the country.
Damage to them created a significant amount of work, including carrying materials to replace or fix signs in remote locations, Barnett said.
"Be the better person in nature. Save target practice for the range and leave the signs alone," he said.
DOC strategic asset manager Kushla Tapper said it was not just a vandalism issue, but also public safety.
Photo: SUPPLIED / DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
"Some signs lose their reflective quality when vandalised and that means they can't be seen in poor weather conditions or the dark. This can be the difference between safety and significant harm for travellers," she said.
"These signs contain essential information."
Vandalism was a drain on DOC, Tapper said.
"We want the public to know that the time and costs we spend on repairing and replacing signs, could be better spent on doing other work to protect bio-diversity or maintaining huts and tracks.
"We have a finite budget and are always trying to prioritise our work. We could maintain more visitor assets if we didn't have to keep reassigning funds to fixing vandalism of essential signage."
Members of the public who encountered damaged signs were being encouraged to record the location, take a photo if possible and send the information to the local DOC office.
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