Latest news with #Remarkables
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Son of Arrowtown's colourful life
Jim Childerstone, aka 'Five-mile Fred', who died recently, aged 90, was well known to many Whakatipu residents despite living out of town for the past 30 years. Philip Chandler delves into his full life and his interesting take on wilding pines. Forestry consultant, logger, writer, hiker, golfer, adventurer ... the list goes on. Third-generation Arrowtowner Jim Childerstone, who died recently, aged 90, might have lived with his wife Margot in North Otago for the past 30 years, but Arrowtown was still where his heart was. Raised there, his parents were Mary and Walter, and Mary's father was well-known local doctor, William Ferguson. When almost 7 he and Mary joined Walter in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where he developed tea plantations. However, it was World War 2, and as Japan was about to invade they escaped by boat to South Africa. At one school he learnt rugby "the South African way under a former Springbok", he said. On arriving home he returned to Arrowtown School. He wrote he and school mates risked their lives exploring old gold mining tunnels. In his book, Up the Rees Valley, he wrote about 60-plus years of local trips and tramps with friends including summiting, with a schoolmate, the Remarkables in 1952 during a challenging 16-hour day. Margot says at Lincoln College, near Christchurch, where he received an agricultural diploma and post-grad degree in soil and water, he paid for most of his books from goldpanning in Arrowtown. She adds he stayed an extra two years to play on the college basketball team. He started his journalism career at Auckland's Herald newspaper, but had the opportunity to earn more as a pneumatic drill operator before a stint as a Sydney Morning Herald court reporter. He later travelled to Europe, sleeping on beaches in Greece, then in Canada worked on the Calgary Herald and was a part-time ski patroller in Banff. He and Margot, who grew up in Argentina, met in a London pub and married close by, in Hampstead, in '68. Jim worked for the British government's Central Office of Information which relocated him to the Solomon Islands. "We had two and a-half years, which was fantastic," Margot says, "and Jim trained some young Solomon Islanders as reporters." They had a summer in Queenstown, Jim working as an Earnslaw stoker, then returned to England. They popped back for good in the mid-1970s and bought a 5.5-hectare Closeburn property, near Queenstown, which was about 70% covered in wilding pines. They lived in their pantechnicon, Margot recalls, while Jim built a log cabin from Corsican pines. Visitors commented on its lovely smell, she says — they later moved into a larger residence built of Douglas firs milled above One Mile Creek. Jim operated a portable mill, cutting timber, mostly wildings, for houses in nearby Sunshine Bay and Fernhill but also over at Walter Peak, at the Arrowtown golf course and even Stewart Island. He set up a timber yard in Industrial Place, then a larger one called Closeburn Timber Corner where today's Glenda Dr is. Meanwhile, he wrote his 'Five-mile Fred' column in Mountain Scene over three years — named after Queenstown's Five Mile Creek, not Frankton's later Five Mile. They were his and mates like 'Twelve-mile Trev's' musings on topics of the day from "up on the diggings". His columns made a book, Of gold dust, nuggets & bulldust, accompanied by Garrick Tremain cartoons. The Childerstones also developed the Closeburn Alpine Park campground, but were badly burnt in the '87 sharemarket crash. The couple, who eventually paid off most of their debts, moved first to Arrowtown then, helped by Lotto winnings, bought in Hampden, North Otago, in '94. Jim still frequented Queenstown, staying in hotels with Margot when she'd bring through Spanish and Italian tours during her days as a tour guide. He established a forestry consultancy, and took a stand against the wholesale destruction of wilding 'pests'. "There are practical ways of attacking the problem rather than the gung-ho attitude of fundamentalist conservation groups," he told Scene on the release of his book, The Wilding Conifer Invasion — Potential Resource or Pest Plant, in 2017. Pointing also to the ugliness of sprayed Douglas firs on hillsides, he argued wilding trees could be harvested for high-grade building timber and biofuels could be extracted from wood waste while also applauding locals Michael Sly and Mathurin Molgat for tapping wildings for essential oil products. Queenstown's Kim Wilkinson, who recalls hiking in the hills with Margot and Jim on Sundays before enjoying their hospitality, says "Jim was still hiking around the hills in his late 80s and even in his later years had the mental energy and enthusiasm of a young man in his 20s". Margot says "people are coming out of the woodwork saying 'he did this for me', nobody has a bad word to say about him". She reveals before he died there had been moves made for them to potentially retire to a pensioner flat in Arrowtown.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
'We want to get Queenstown moving again' - cable car companies target resort town
Whoosh as visualised on a central street in Queenstown. Photo: Supplied A cable car race is underway in Queenstown, as two different companies unveil their schemes to connect the resort town by high-wire. Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd have revealed blueprints of their proposed transport networks this week. Kiwi-owned Whoosh has been developing self-driving cabins to go on an elevated cable network , which riders would be able to book on an app. Whoosh_chief_executive_Chris_Allington. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Today at the Electrify Queenstown conference, Whoosh chief executive Chris Allington from the engineering firm Holmes Solutions revealed a map of where the six-part network could go. The network could link Frankton to Shotover Country to the Remarkables Ski Hill, but he said Whoosh was keen to adapt its plans to feedback from Queenstown locals. He said the first two kilometres or so - a pilot project around Remarkables Park - could be operational as soon as next year. "This isn't fiction, this isn't fake, this isn't an animation, this is actually coming. And it's coming fast," he told the crowd. Whoosh's vision for Queenstown. Photo: Supplied Work would begin this year, and it was just a matter of "dotting i's and crossing t's" and obtaining resource consent for the buildings, he said. Allington did not put a date on the wider network, besides saying Whoosh's modular design made it very quick to build. "It's not like we need to finish it all before any of it can open... it will just keep getting extended and keep rolling across in the direction, in the places, that Queenstown wants it to go," he said. So far, the network had a ballpark cost estimate of $250 million, he said. Whoosh was funded by shareholders and private equity from offshore, and Allington said he believed the price tag was achievable. "The funny thing is, it's actually easier to fund the big project than a small one, particularly stuff like this. It's clean, it's green, it's sustainable. There's lots of funding sources available for that," he said. But hot on Whoosh's heels was another initiative from Southern Infrastructure Ltd. Southern Infrastructure chief executive Ross Copland. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Chief executive Ross Copland described the company as less of an innovator, and more of a problem solver for the town's traffic woes. "We're not a supplier, so we don't have a particular technology. We're an infrastructure developer that's looking to solve a transport problem in Queenstown. We've looked really closely at all the options - our preference at this stage is a ropeway," he said. Southern Infrastructure planned to build an electric, high-speed urban gondola network around Queenstown, at a cost of about $200 million. It revealed a map of its planned network straddling seven stations, from Arthur's Point, to Queenstown central, to Ladies Mile, with stopoffs at Queenstown Airport and the Frankton bus hub. Queenstown Cable Car's indicative map. Photo: Supplied Copland said it was the sum of years of careful analysis of height limits, existing infrastructure, geotechnical stability and significant ecological areas. "It's almost a direct route into Queenstown, but importantly it bypasses a lot of those residential areas where the visual effects would be quite significant," he said. "We think it's a project that's consentable and also quite efficient." The project had backing from rich-lister Rod Drury, and support from one of the world's biggest ski lift companies, Doppelmayr. Copland admitted the company's goal of launching by the end of 2028 was "aggressive", but said the need was urgent. "There's a couple of different ways the project can be funded. We'd love to see it brought in as part of the public transport funding models so that people in the region, whether their visitors or locals, can have quite a seamless experience moving between bus, ferry and the cable. But that relies on a whole lot of decisions that are outside of our control, so local government central government will have a really key role in deciding," he said. "If that if that doesn't happen, then the funding model will be through, effectively, ticket prices, that will be paid by residents and visitors. The modelling we've done shows really strong growth and really strong uptake by passengers. So we think that under either of those scenarios, it's still a commercially viable project." Doppelmayr NZ chief executive Gareth Hayman. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Doppelmayr New Zealand chief executive Gareth Hayman hoped locals would see cable transit as a tried and tested option. "A gondola is not that scary at all. It's been, in use for the last 25 years within public transport networks. It's proven, it's tested, we understand what we need to do and we're here to make it happen," he said. Asked if Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd were competitors or allies, Allington said each was trying different methods to ease traffic congestion in Queenstown. "I think we're all trying to achieve the same thing. We want to get Queenstown moving again. We want to do that in a sustainable way," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
29-04-2025
- NZ Herald
Why Queenstown's Bike to Brewery trail is the ultimate weekend activity
One of the best things about this self-guided biking tour is how long you have before the shuttle picks you and your bike up at Canyon Brewing to return to Queenstown. The ride itself should take 1.5-2 hours, but there's also the allowance of an hour for exploring Arrowtown and 1-1.5 hours given for the breweries at the other end. With the shuttle service from the start and end of the route back to Queenstown included in the experience price, it's easy and convenient. When I set off from the carpark in Arrowtown, the weekend market was on. Filled with artisans, it's a great way to see local crafts and grab a gift or two. Of course, Arrowtown is also the perfect place to grab a pre-ride coffee and pastry before hitting the trails. Realistically, this is the only section where road cycling is required. After you come up from the carpark to the main drag of Arrowtown, you head down through the public carpark to reach the cycle trail (Countryside Trail) along the Arrow River. After a quick dip back on to the road, you'll reach Millbrook Resort and Country Club. While you're technically cycling along the road here, the vehicles are few and far between and the speed bumps mean no one is rushing past you. Also, the helpful sights of the bright-blue Wharehuanui trail signs keep you on the right track – no pun intended. From here, there is a mix of gravel paths and tarmac bike paths along the main roads heading up towards Coronet Peak. This is the trickiest part of the cycle and the section where my unfit legs were happy to have the assistance of an e-bike. You pedal up the incline of Coronet Peak Station Rd, riding across with spectacular views of the 2000m Remarkables in the distance. This is classic New Zealand countryside and this vista makes the burn in your legs worth it. After you've climbed, the next part is a slightly technical downhill switchback section. It's pretty steep and had me riding the brakes a lot, but I saw plenty of seasoned cyclists take it in their stride. Given how flat the rest of the route is, it was cool to test myself with something a little more challenging towards the end. From this section by Downey's Dam, it's a straight shoot to Arthur's Point. You can stop at the historic Gantley's Tavern for a well-earned pint before continuing to Canyon Brewing, or pedal straight to the brewery taproom. I headed straight to Canyon Brewing where a flight of delicious, locally brewed beers awaited alongside some seasonal sliders. With an expansive outdoor seating area overlooking the Shotover River and the Edith Cavell Bridge, it's the perfect spot to rest and relax after a satisfying 16km cycle. Starring a menu and ethos grounded in sustainability, Canyon Brewing is an ideal place for a weekend pint. Tasting the various brews, it's interesting to see the use of locally sourced ingredients, including the fact its Canyon Gold lager is the first Central Otago-brewed-and-grown lager, using Queenstown-grown barley grown by the brewery director, James Paterson. There's something beautiful and unbelievably satisfying about spending time cycling through the New Zealand countryside, exploring under your own steam and then settling in for local food and sustainably sourced beer. Add in the sunshine on the deck area and you have a 10/10 weekend activity day. Despite this trail being relatively new, it's already getting a lot of use, as is the rest of the Queenstown Trails network, with 402,544 riders hitting the trails in the 2023-24 period. A new section of the Wharehuanui trail is scheduled to open in April, connecting to the new Shotover Gorge Trail. This new cycle route, as the name suggests, follows the Shotover Gorge from Arthur's Point for 7km before connecting with the Tucker Beach Trail, which goes for a further 3.5km to the Old Shotover Bridge. From here, the route also interconnects with the Twin Rivers Trail and the Countryside Trail, opening up day and multi-day route options across the Wakatipu Basin and the wider Queenstown area. Developing the Shotover Gorge Trail hasn't been an easy task, with the construction of the Kimi-ākau bridge to cross the Shotover River and the renovation of the historic Hugo Tunnel at Big Beach made possible through donations by the Hugo Charitable Trust. The Hugo Tunnel is a mining tunnel that spans an incredible 108m at the mouth of the Shotover Gorge. Although construction was planned during the Gold Rush, it wasn't built until 1962, and since then has fallen into disrepair. However, it's set to offer a historic and impressive addition to the new trail from this month onwards. However, if cycling to Central Otago's most beloved vineyards is more your speed, there's a new route, the Kawarau Gorge Trail, set to open in summer 2025-26. This 32km trail connects the vineyards of Bannockburn, near Cromwell, with the popular Gibbston Valley wineries near Queenstown. Connected by two spectacular suspension bridges, the route promises amazing valley views and plenty of tasty cellar-door experiences. So, despite being apprehensive about cycling again in general, let alone being left to my own devices armed with a paper route map, this self-guided bike-to-brewery tour is the perfect way to spend a weekend in and around Queenstown. If you've never done a cycle tour before and want to dip your toe in the water, this is a great route to start on. It's relatively short, well signposted and has beautiful scenery and enough of a challenge to make you feel like you've earned the pint at the end. What's not to love about that? Details The Arrowtown-to-Arthur's Point Bike To A Brewery experience costs $95 for a standard bike hire with maps and shuttles, $145 for an electric bike, and $40 if you bring your own bike from Queenstown. Children's bikes (ages 5-14) are $75 for a standard bike and $125 for an e-bike. Infant bikes and equipment are also available (ages 0-4) for $65. Tours depart from the Around The Basin store at 3 Searle Lane, Queenstown.
