Iconic Gondola History Auctioned Off For Charity
From the original 1967 multi-coloured ‘bubble car’ gondolas to the white 1987 issue currently being auctioned off for local charity, the famous Skyline Gondola is, and will always be, an iconic slice of Queenstown’s rich tourism history.
With the swanky new 10-seater gondola cabins soon to be installed as part of the $200m Skyline redevelopment, the company is auctioning off most of the 36 old gondolas on Trade Me, the first of which fetched $5300 when it closed last week.
Another five went up on Trade Me on April 13 and Skyline general manager Wayne Rose says they’ll probably auction off 20 to 25 gondolas, launching about five a week. All proceeds from the auctions will go to two local charities, dear to the Skyline directors’ and team’s hearts – the Branches Charitable Trust and Wilding Control Group, he says. “We invest a lot into the local community and work closely with a lot of organisations that are in line with our values.”
Several of the popular themed, sign-written gondola cabins will be saved until last for a grand marquee auction and are expected to attract plenty of interest. “Towards the end we’ll be auctioning the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup cabin. People never wait, but they wait for that one,” says Wayne. The Stargazing gondola – wrapped in photographs of the stars, is a delight for the kids, and the LUMA gondola – wrapped in a LUMA competition winning design, is also a winner.
Several gondolas have already been donated to various local organisations as well – one to Lakes District Museum, and one each to the gondola terminal’s two Brecon Street preschool neighbours. “We had a special request from one of them for the Jellybean cabin.”
“We’re getting a lot of enquiries and we’re really keen to ensure these and their proceeds all go to local charity.”
He says with rising costs and huge roll growth at Wakatipu High School the Branches Trust was an obvious choice. The trust was set up in 2009 amid rising costs to ensure every local student gets to experience the school’s unique and iconic backcountry camp. “It’s getting harder and harder for families and we want to help ensure all local kids here get the opportunity to go. The family aspect is absolutely pinnacle for us and it’s something that touches every family in Queenstown,” says Wayne.
Branches Trust chair Jane Bamford says trustees are extremely grateful for any funding boost. “We’re just so thrilled to have been chosen as a charity partner,” she says. “The cost of the camp, which is now split into two 7-day camps with such huge numbers, has just escalated, given all the health and safety regulations and cost of professional instructors. Everything’s gone up.”
The camp, now in its 56th Year, will cater for close to 300 Year 10 students this year, spread across the two back to back intakes. Up until a few years ago it was a 12-day camp, but is still packed with the same life-changing outdoor challenges from whitewater rafting and kayaking to overnight survival camp-outs, abseiling and high country hiking.
“It’s about resilience, and a recent survey found 76 percent of last year’s camp attendees agreed that it was a life changing experience for them,” says Jane. “More than half of the students had never camped for that long.”
With recent Education Ministry changes to include the camp as part of the school’s curriculum, the trust is now reliant on donations. It costs about $700 per student, but Jane says they’ve managed to keep the donation at $350. “We have a massive shortfall in fundraising. This year the trust has fundraised $70,000 to give to the school, but the shortfall will be more, so we need to raise at least that again. Whatever we get from Skyline will be a huge help.”
The Whakatipu Wilding Control Group is also a very worthy cause with so many wilding conifers invading local hillsides, says Wayne.
Skyline will retain one gondola for display alongside its current original red bubble gondola, which is being fully refurbished inside, on the Skyline Restaurant deck. It will also display one at its head office.
They were pleasantly surprised by the $5300 successful Trade Me bid last week with strong interest both locally and throughout the South Island, as far away as Christchurch.
Skyline Gondola closes down for 10 weeks from April 22 for the upgrade, with the gondolas all taken off-line on April 23. Due to re-open on July first for the school holidays, Wayne says he’s hoping that can be brought forward a week. Excavation for the Skyline Gondola complex extensions get underway in June with the new 400-space car park at the base, which is well underway, set to be completed in March next year.
