Plans under way for a gondola to the slopes
New planning rules in the Queenstown Lakes District are paving the way for large gondolas to access the Cardrona and Remarkables ski areas.
It is understood a resource consent application will soon be lodged to build a fully enclosed gondola from the Cardrona Valley floor into the Cardrona and Soho ski areas.
Meanwhile, Remarkables Park developer Alastair Porter said he was ready to proceed with plans for a gondola to the Remarkables ski area, as soon as he was confident of a tourism bounce-back.
Plans for the Cardrona Valley are being developed by John Darby, who owned the Soho ski area before going into partnership with RealNZ, the owner of the neighbouring Cardrona ski area, in 2018.
Last year, Darby said he had $80m worth of development plans for the Cardrona/ Soho ski area, including a fully electric gondola stretching from the Cardrona Valley that would significantly reduce the ski fields’ carbon footprint by decreasing the number of car trips.
Darby’s planning team confirmed a new rule had been negotiated in the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s District Plan to enable construction of gondolas located within designated rural zones.
Darby’s company and Remarkables Park Ltd have also successfully appealed to the Environment Court to ensure provisions were made for terminal and base stations.
Porter said he was not sure when an application would be made for a gondola stretching all the way from the Remarkables Park retail and commercial area to the base of the mountain, then up into the Remarkables ski field.
He suggested Queenstown commuters would use the gondola most, but tourists would provide the greatest financial return. The ride would take about 27 minutes.
‘‘We are still keen on the gondola project, but for it to be economically viable we have to get a feel for how well the numbers grow back and how quickly,’’ he said.
To be viable, any project would require international visitors and would need to be a 365-day-a-year operation.
NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said the company, which owns the Remarkables ski area, had not spoken directly to Porter about the project since early 2020.
‘‘We would welcome the chance to work with others to bring that gondola in if it was still feasible,’’ he said.
Darby and RealNZ chief experience officer Bridget Legnavsky declined to comment.