Gondola to link Queenstown to ski fields NZ

Plans are afoot for a $50 million, 9.8km gondola from Queenstown's Remarkables Park Town Centre to the Remarkables Ski Area.

The gondola would operate from a Gondola Events Plaza, adjacent to the centre in Frankton, and link to NZSki's base building at the ski field. The ride would take about 27 minutes. 

Queenstown investment and development company Porter Group chairman Alastair Porter said the project, the longest gondola in Australasia, would be a "significant" investment in regional and national tourism infrastructure and the resort played a key role in attracting tourists to the country.

Image credit: Stuff.co.nz

"However, we live in a world where tourism is highly competitive, and it's extremely important for New Zealand to continue to invest in major tourist infrastructure to keep refreshing and enhancing our international appeal," he said.

The gondola would enhance Queenstown as an international four-season destination by enabling sightseers, hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and wedding couples or conference and incentive groups looking for an unforgettable venue to visit the Remarkables in spring, summer and autumn, Porter said.

The gondola was based on a design by Leitner Poma, one of the world's most experienced gondola and chairlift companies.

"The gondola will also integrate well with the proposed Convention Centre at Remarkables Park Town Centre," Porter said.

Porter said that determining the gondola location and building had delayed development of a Queenstown Convention Centre at Remarkables Park Town Centre.

"Importantly the Convention Centre and the new Remarkables mountain facilities building can work together to host conferences," he said.

New Zealand tourism consultant Stephen Hamilton said he was "very supportive" of the vision to connect hotels and urban areas of Queenstown to The Remarkables.

"In winter the proposed gondola will give skiers, boarders and sightseers easy access to NZSki's facilities. It will further boost Queenstown's world-class visitor experience, and has the potential to deliver immeasurable economic benefits to the resort town's many businesses," he said.

Porter said there was a widely-recognised need for Queenstown to develop more hotels to cope with visitor growth.

The gondola and convention centre would act as "significant catalysts" for new hotels and retail in the wider region and at Remarkables Park, Queenstown's largest zoned area for high-rise hotel and retail expansion, he said.

Submissions have been lodged with the Queenstown Lakes District Council for the project, and a resource consent application would be lodged in early 2016.

Porter said it could be built and operational within three years, subject to further consultation and the resource consent process.

First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.