QUEENSTOWN CALLING

Once a well-kept secret, New Zealand’s charming ski town is attracting more than Antipodean powder hounds

New Zealand’s charming ski town is attracting more than Antipodean powder hounds reports Gina Johnson

Tourism to Queenstown has increased by double digits for the past several years with annual expenditure now surpassing $NZ2 billion.

When the Silicon Valley super rich started piling in to New Zealand real estate a few years ago, the world started to take notice. Until then, the mysterious South Pacific nation was deemed either too remote or too callow to attract mainstream tourism. Despite its abundant natural beauty, world-class fine dining and vineyards, and some of the best luxury lodges on the planet, it remained anathema to most global travellers, outside of Australasia.

A perfect storm of awareness ensued after the release of local director Peter Jackson’s cult film franchise Lord

of the Rings in the early 2000s, culminating in 2016 when Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, launched its first non-stop flight between Dubai and Auckland.

It was during this time that stories began circulating of a clutch-full of American billionaires – including the tech mogul Peter Thiel and hedge fund founder Michael Nock – who began buying up large swathes of acreage to develop as reclusive (and certainly exclusive) holiday homes. Or, depending on who you spoke to, opulent bunkers in preparation for Armageddon.

The location of this whispered nirvana was in fact Queenstown, a charming ski town perched on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by The Remarkables mountain range on one side and Ben Lemond on the other. To describe Queenstown as breathtaking is an understatement. And though it is that and more, it is its other-worldliness, a sense that this Middle Earth really could be part of another planet, that takes first-time visitors by surprise. Like Iceland and other countries that populate Earth’s outer rim, there is an enormity and sheer ruggedness to the glacial mountains and a blue-hued iciness to the lakes that reflect back a freezeframed, inverted version of the snow-capped ranges that they swaddle. Most of the surrounding area is so unpopulated and geographically prehistoric in its appearance, you half expect a flock or Pterodactyl to

come swooping over the summits.

Tourism to Queenstown has increased by double digits for the past several years with annual expenditure now surpassing $NZ2 billion. In the winter months, most come here for the world-class skiing that is offered across four distinct resorts – Cardrona, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone. In the summer, the appeal is outdoor adventure, including nature walks, mountain biking and extreme sports.

All year round, the little town is a hive of social activity with some of the best restaurants and vineyards in the country. Queenstown is home to acclaimed New Zealand chef Josh Emett’s Rata Dining as well as its cool Asian fusion relation Madame Woo, both eminently comparable to some of the best contemporary restaurants in New York or Paris.

Accommodation in the city varies from budget hostels to private villas and though there is no accommodation on the ski fields themselves, the area is well connected by shuttle buses, taxis and hire cars. One of the leading property groups in the region, Oaks Resorts & Properties, has a been expanding its portfolio across the region over the past decade.

Having recently undergone a $NZ1.8 million refurbishment, Oaks Shores has rejuvenated its entire collection of hotel rooms and apartments and offers some of the most spacious accommodation in Queenstown.

The property is particularly wellsuited to families offering one, two and three-bedroom Courtyard and Lakeview apartments along with some stunning four-bedroom penthouses. Features include large modern kitchens, internal laundries, sleek bathrooms and gas fireplaces.The apartments offer show-stopping views and are flooded in natural light, with floor-to-ceiling windows and bi-fold glass doors opening on to private balconies.

Positioned right on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, with access to a lakeside walking track that connects to the town, Oaks Shores is one of two resorts in Queenstown that make up a portfolio of 54 properties in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand the UAE.