New Tekapo Four Square set to open
The first business which is part of a multi-million dollar Tekapo lakeside development will open next week.
A new Four Square will officially open its doors to customers next Wednesday.
The lakeside development being undertaken by the Mackenzie District Council includes a five-star hotel, commercial area, youth hostel, car parking, playground and landscaping, and Earth and Sky’s new headquarters.
Mackenzie District Mayor Graham Smith said YHA building consents had been approved and the youth hostel ‘‘will be the next to start [being built].’’
Tekapo-based councillor Murray Cox said there had been ‘‘a lot of things happening behind the scenes’’ in terms of the developments.
‘‘Things may look a bit slow on the ground, as people don’t see a lot of buildings being built.’’
The new supermarket would ‘‘certainly be a big bonus for the town’’, Cox said.
‘‘When you look at the resident population of Tekapo it wouldn’t support a large supermarket, but once you factor in tourists, and people who stay in holiday homes, that’s when it makes sense.’’
Locals currently have to travel to Twizel or Fairlie for the closest big supermarket, Cox said.
Four Square owner-operator Russell Jeffries said to open the new store was ‘‘extremely exciting’’, and he was not sad about closing the current business on Sunday.
The ‘‘big brand new store’’ was four times bigger than its predecessor.
The family-operated business had been running the current Four Square for the last 32 years, since 1985, he said.
Construction of the supermarket got under way last October. Car parking around it was pinned to expand to keep up with increased traffic flow in the west end of the town, Cox said.
The development of Lakeside Drive, which includes an upgrade to stormwater systems, the widening of the road and the demolition of the old public toilets, was expected to be finished by the end of July, Cox said.
By October the new playground equipment and landscaping on the domain was expected to have started.
‘‘It’s dependent on winter,... but some playground equipment will be down.’’
A new Earth and Sky headquarters was ‘‘still in the process of finalising resource consents’’.
Once it was signed off, building would happen ‘‘quite swiftly’’, he said.
‘‘By 2018 you’d expect to see quite a bit of building.’’