Mountain Scene - Edwardian Tourism Reboot ?

Posted 8th February 2014 to the Mountain Scene Newspaper Queenstown

Back in the days of the Clark Government Queenstown and Glenorchy and Queenstown where visited by agents from the Swiss Tourism industry
They looked at what could be done to resurrect the amazing Pre Edwardian era Tourism infrastructure in the Glenorchy Paradise Region, It must have been a mirror of Switzerland When one could take a Paddle steamer up the Lake to a Grand Style Hotel and get guided tours of the then Jura Glacier on Mt Earnslaw.
Whether any business idea where formed about rebooting this era is not known to me but it poses some interesting questions,
Local Politics being one and the “Auckland-ization” of the Wakatipu Area is another, then there is creeping malignant contempt of the past that would no doubt be alien to the Swiss.

All of which is a shame as we lost our South Pacific Switzerland at the top of the Lake half a century ago first with the fire at the Mt Earnslaw Hotel The Scrapping for the PS Mountaineer and eventually the Road Link, which last nail in the proverbial Coffin. What makes it worse is that the New Chinese visitors come here to see how we are and how we use to be, and it’s all burnt out, scrapped and buried. Seems only the Swiss have a working business model for sustained Edwardian era Tourism.

ODT - Top of the Lake - Kinloch

Posted 1st February 2014 to the Otago Daily Times

I have to say I just read Doreen McKenzie's History of the Kinloch Glenorchy Area in the farthest Corner of Otago. That it seems somewhat odd that
so much Film and TV footage has been shot there but nobody has bothered telling the colourful story of the century before the first Movie Cameras arrived
It was Nice of Jane Campion to make a TV series based on a somewhat dark and Twisted remote settlement which is also the home of Mainland Cheese adverts, Water Horses, Wolverines, Himalayas and Hobbits but there was world of drama and tragedy as people struggled in real Isolation for a hundred years before the road was pushed threw in 1962 particularly the Bryant Family of Kinloch who where the Hosts of the Routeburn Track until 1971 when the Dart River was bridged and the Modern World consigned them to the History books with the help of the Aspiring National Parks Board. Reduced to a Brass plaque where their “Glacier Hotel” Still Stands today as a B&B.

Milford Tunnel - Skytrail Reboot

Christine Mc Donald Otago Daily Times 5th Dec 2012

A proposal to establish a Caples Valley gondola may be revisited after a new report ranked it the highest of 12 options to access Milford Sound.

The MWH report, commissioned by Environment Southland, assessed proposals, both active and inactive, based on risks and opportunities.

Two proposals, the Fiordland Link Monorail and the Milford Dart Tunnel - both being considered by Department of Conservation operations deputy director Sue Cosford - ranked third and fifth respectively.

Listed second was the mandatory park and ride option, a shuttle bus which was mooted to reduce congestion on both the Milford road and viewing points.

Based on the findings, the Sky Trail Milford Gondola, initially proposed by Skyline Enterprises Ltd and Ngai Tahu in 2001, ''has the highest overall score'', the report said.

Skyline Enterprises managing director Ken Matthews yesterday said he was unaware of the report, but based on its conclusion it would be ''appropriate'' to revisit the proposal.

The 12.6km gondola, estimated to cost up to $110 million to build, was to carry 900 passengers an hour, with a one-way journey taking about 35 minutes.

It would have reduced the 12-hour round trip by about three hours.

''There was a change to the management plan, or the Conservation Act, ...that precluded the [project eventuating]."

Mr Matthews said yesterday he had not had time to think about revisiting the gondola proposal or talk to Ngai Tahu, but it was ''food for further consideration''.

''We always maintained it had the lowest impact on the environment of any of those other means of access ... to Milford''.

''In light of what you've told us, then we would want to have another look at it; it would be appropriate to do so."

Environment Southland policy and planning manager Ken Swinney said the report was ''mainly to inform Environment Southland of its transport strategy'' but noted access to Milford Sound was a hot topic.

While the gondola option scored highly, the report was ''not about picking winners''.

''It has ranked the highest based against the ... criteria that we used. We did not take into account if it was financially viable. All we have done is rank apples with apples."

He said the gondola was still an option ''should those people wish to activate it''.

The report resulted from publicly available information, and, as such, the gondola option had significant information gaps and uncertainties because it had ''got to a certain point in time and then nothing [further] publicly has happened to it''.

While the report said there was ''significant uncertainties over the affordability and consentability'' for both the monorail and gondola, they ''tended to score well for all except the environmental criteria''.

Among the criteria used to assess the options were long and short-term impacts on the environment, overall tourist experience, economic impact for both local communities and Southland, and national and international image.

Milford Dart Ltd director Michael Sleigh said he had not seen the report but ''looked forward to seeing it and commenting when it's available''.

Both the Milford Dart Tunnel and Fiordland Link Monorail have been approved in principle, but Doc media adviser Reuben Williams said yesterday a final decision on the proposals may be ''some time off''.

Ultimately the Gondola could be replaced by a mere 4km Road Tunnel thus makeing the Hollyford Dart Tunnel 

a somewhat expensive mistake.

ODT: Queenstown NZ's Best New Hope

Sent Monday 6th May 2013 - Public Opinion Otago Daily Times.

I have just come home from a visit to the Glenorchy / Kinloch  area and I was curious to see what effect all the Years of Film and Now Television was had on the area,
I have to report that They are a bit slow keeping up with the flow Especially in the Case of the Road to Paradise that People not only associate with The BBC TV Series “Top of the Lake” but it leads to Mt Earnslaw the South Island Mountain most associated with the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Movies which is almost undrivable to ordinary cars. Personally I think this area is going to need some sort of “Make Over” are I wonder if it might even be wise to upgrade the Earnslaw Burn Valley Track to a (Gasp Horror) scenic Drive.. It is a Valley with the most intensive Glacier and Waterfall experience you can have in one spot and it's a Day out from Queenstown. Much nicer than any Monorail of Tunnel trips and it would add an extra day stay to the Queenstown experience instead of taking business off of the Te Anau region.
Best of all, No National Parks would be Harmed! Tourist Paradise? Maybe, but at the moment the Road to Paradise is paved with Pot Holes..