From country town with scenery to hardly a local in sight
WHEN I first went to Queenstown in 1965 it was absolutely packed with locals. They were all over the place. My mate Pete and a busload of Australians seemed to be the only outoftowners in the joint, and what a paradise it was.
Really a small country town with scenery. To get up Bobs Peak you walked and Jon Dumble would sell you a lemonade in the tiny chalet which was the birthplace of tourism giant Skyline. We were under 21 so getting a beer at longgone (as it was) Eichardts, longgone Mountaineer or longgone O’Connells meant lowering your voice an octave or two and swaggering a bit as adults do. You had to. There was nowhere else to get a drink. You could take a trip on the Earnslaw as it steamed up the lake to Glenorchy unloading sheep on the way. There Harry Bryant would load you on to topless buses and take you up the valley to Paradise. Come to think of it, there probably wasn’t much else to do. We went to the pictures in the quaint old theatre in the middle of town and legendary public relations man Des Gavin loaned us some gold pans and got a mate to drop us off at the beach at the Edith Cavell Bridge. No earsplitting intrusions from a screaming jet boat in sight or sound. An old miner who lived nearby, moved by our lack of panning success, slipped us a few grains of gold and we had a beer at the longgone Arthurs Point pub. Best holiday I ever had! Apart from the Australian girls who would have nothing to do with us, there was hardly an overseas tourist in sight. Paradise! But all long gone as I found on a recent visit to Queenstown. Not a real local in sight. Only traffic lights and a crowded airport!
Perhaps Queenstown needs to look to Amsterdam if it is ever to once again be an attraction for New Zealanders on holiday. The Dutch city wants to cut down on tourist numbers and stop turning the city into what locals are saying is becoming a Disneyland.
Now, I’m a selfappointed expert on Amsterdam, having lived there during 1974 when it was a bit of a paradise, like Queenstown used to be. It was no Disneyland, but certainly different from Dunedin which, as far as I know had no red light district in those days. But Amsterdam certainly did, and still has. Of course we wandered down the narrow streets of De Wallan and smiled at the prostitutes flaunting their charms in the welllit brothel windows. The New Zealand dollar then was worth four guilders so I suspect the odd Kiwi decided to venture inside. There’s now a strong move to get rid of the Amsterdam sex tourist industry entirely and these days with the Kiwi dollar pretty well at parity with the guilder there would be many New Zealanders giving the Dutch treat a miss, although I’d find it hard to obey the recent instruction to visitors to ‘‘turn your back on the windows to show some respect’’.
I’ve been back to Holland since and Amsterdam is still an amazing city. Dutch food is filling and tasty and the history of an empire which once ruled much of the globe is there to enjoy. But now the place is littered with McDonald’ses and similar disasters, just like Queenstown, and there are probably more Amsterdam bars selling Fosters than Heineken. As for finding a local to talk to. Well, it’s like Queenstown these days. You can’t. The Dutch locals stay indoors or head off to the beaches of France at holiday time. Frustrated local body councillors are suggesting changes to get Amsterdam back on track. Banning Airbnb shortterm rentals in busy areas, cracking down on fun rides like Segways (the twowheeled scooter things) and boozy boat trips. Amsterdammers complain they no longer know their neighbours and locals can no longer afford a place to live. Just like Queenstown. But, you cry, Amsterdam has 18 million visitors a year and Queenstown has only two million. No comparison. But remember Amsterdam has a population of 2.4 million and Queenstown locals number about 15,000, so being overwhelmed is very much a Queenstown problem.
It may well be time for a Queenstown factfinding mission, led by Beloved Leader Jim Boult, to visit Amsterdam and see how that city is handling a problem which can only get worse for Queenstown.
Even before they leave they could take on board the latest suggestions from Amsterdam. One is to ban the giant cruise ships which disgorge 300,000 pesky tourists into the Amsterdam streets every year. I can see it now. ‘‘Boult says ‘Ban the Boats’.’’ They might also take up another idea being floated in Amsterdam. All brothels are to keep their blinds down at all times. Drastic, maybe, but could be worth a few mayoral votes next year.
❛ Perhaps Queenstown needs to look to Amsterdam if it is ever to once again be an attraction for New Zealanders on holiday