Queenstown open for school holidays
Queenstown will explode into the school holidays with music and fireworks but some regular experiences will be reduced or shortlived.
A ‘‘We are Winter’’ celebration will be held in Queenstown on July 4, featuring musicians and a 7pm fireworks display.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Ann Lockhart said the celebration was not intended as a replacement for the Real Journeys Queenstown Winter Festival, which was cancelled due to Covid-19 but would return in 2021.
While borders were closed, tourism hotspots such as Queenstown were preparing for a winter hosting domestic visitors. International visitors usually accounted for about 60 per cent of the region’s visitors.
Skifields will operate fewer chairlifts than usual and the Remarkables will limit its operation to weekends-only after the school holidays.
Other well-known Queenstown activities were also reducing their offering. Wayfare chief executive Ian Jackson said his company ‘‘had had to make carefully considered changes to realign our business to cater for a different mix of guests’’. He would not say how many Real Journeys and Go Orange staff had been made redundant but the number was ‘‘significant’’ and meant many experiences would not be operating, or operating at a reduced capacity.
The TSS Earnslaw would operate midday cruises to Walter Peak and evening cruises on Friday and Saturday nights, he said. However, there would be no gourmet lunch until at least the end of August, due to substantial restructuring.
During the holidays Real Journeys would also run a daily cruise in Milford Sound, a day trip to Doubtful Sound, twice daily trips to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves, Go Orange jet boats in Queenstown and an Ulva Island Explorer tour on Stewart Island.
Jackson said some experiences would become weekend-only or more frequently after the July school holidays, based on demand.
Children would be able to travel for free on all experiences.
Shotover Jet initially indicated it would close until later in the year after making 300 people redundant but is now planning to open four days a week from July 3.
Nga¯ i Tahu Tourism, which owns the company, partnered with the Department of Conservation, The Helicopter Line and Te Ru¯ nanga o Makaawhio to resume heli hiking at Franz Josef Glacier in time for the school holidays.
Skyline Gondola in Queenstown will operate from four days a week to every day of the week during the holidays. The buffet restaurant will not be open but the cafe´ and luge will be.