High hopes for Waitomo
Waitomo Sky Garden project tipped to cost $20m
An entrepreneur once afraid of heights wants to build a 70-metre-high wooden bungy jumping platform — and he needs $20 million to do it.
John Heskett is looking for investors for his Waitomo Sky Garden project, set to be the first attraction of its kind in the world. The platform, which would be built on land owned by Nick Andreef and Alan Juno in the King Country tourism hub, is to feature New Zealand's highest water-touch bungy, a cafe and the highest dry slide in history.
Underneath another cafe is planned, a reinstated wetland themed garden with boardwalk, hot springs and another viewing platform on the roof of a two-storey building.
Heskett, who was afraid of heights until he became a bungy instructor with AJ Hackett in Queenstown, came up with the concept two years ago and sold his scaffolding businesses to begin work on the project.
“I went doorknocking around Hamilton and no one wanted to do it. Everyone was like ‘What the hell are you trying to build?’.
“It started off as a bungy jump and it’s turned into the Waitomo Sky Garden. We’re going to create something that literally the world hasn’t seen.”
Eventually he knocked on the door of Form Building and Developments, which has led the project so far, with BCD Group undertaking engineering and resource consent planning, and Ignite architects doing the design work.
“All these companies have gone over the top to help me, especially Form.”
Heskett negotiated a 25-year lease with Andreef and says he has support from local iwi, though a public meeting in Waitomo was divided with some residents against the project, calling it “ugly” and unsuitable for the area.
The Hamilton man has spent $300,000 getting the sky garden to resource consent stage and is currently awaiting the outcome of that process. So far nobody has objected officially.
A price indication came back at $17.2m but Heskett said he expected that to go up to $20m.
Now the former St Paul’s Collegiate School student, who has a Diploma in Tourism Management and a Bachelor of Applied Management, is calling for investors.
“I haven’t got any investors just yet. I’m hoping it will get international attention.
“I was in the scaffolding game and lifting up metal wasn’t for me. You don’t see many smiles on people’s faces on building sites. I just wanted to create something cool.
“I love bungy jumping so much and just to get other people to experience that, I thought it’d be pretty cool.”
And the 26-year-old has the backing of Waitomo mayor Brian Hanna, who is working with the owners of the Waitomo Golf Club to get a $40m hotel built on the State Highway 3 venue to make Waitomo a one-stop-shop tourist destination.
Hanna called the Sky Garden a “huge opportunity” for Waitomo. “One thing we need at Waitomo is more above ground stuff.”
We’re going to create something that literally the world hasn’t seen. John Heskett