Waterski club still searching for land

WANAKA waterskiers are still on the hunt for a piece of land for a purposebuilt waterski lake.

The Wanaka WaterSki Club had the idea of creating a 2mdeep, 700m x 70m lake next to Cameron Creek, in Albert Town.

However, club member Gerald Harraway said yesterday that idea was shelved some time ago because of the likely cost of obtaining resource consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

‘‘We’re better off keeping an eye out for a bit of land on a farm out of town.

‘‘But there’s around.’’

There had been discussions with a farmer in the Ardgour Valley, near Tarras, who was planning an irrigation pond and was open to the idea of creating it in a shape that would allow for waterski use.

‘‘But that’s a few years away.’’ Mr Harraway said a competition lake was at least 600m long and 50m to 60m wide.

There were several in Canterbury, and one near Rangiora was at the centre of a housing development with palm trees

not

much and white sand beaches, he said. ‘‘It’s unbelievable.

‘‘It’s got 50 sections around it. ‘‘It’s as good as you would see anywhere in the world.’’

A dedicated waterski lake would provide for slalom and trick skiing and could have a 2mhigh floating jump.

‘‘Personally, I would love to look for a piece of land that a few people could do a joint venture on,’’ Mr Harraway said.

‘‘The cost of the land’s the hardest thing.’’

Parkins Bay, in Lake Wanaka, is one of the more popular places for waterskiing at present.