Ray White Queenstown celebrates re-opening following car incident

by July 12, 2018

Two months after a car ploughed into their real estate showroom, Ray White Queenstown owners Bas Smith and Cam Reed have finally re-opened the doors.

The ground-level office and showroom in Church Street was extensively damaged when a local worker finishing a night shift accidentally drove into the building around daybreak on April 19.

Staff and agents who used to use the downstairs space were relocated to upstairs offices while re-building and renovation work was completed.

The space now has a new, modern look and feel including a lounge area, and upstairs areas have been remodelled to enable staff to remain there.

The new-look showroom opened as Bas and Cam celebrate ten years operating the Ray White franchise in Queenstown, and Ray White marked the 25th anniversary of its presence in New Zealand with an Auckland celebration in late May.

“We’ve always been in Church Street, and as the town has grown we’re thrilled to be in such a vibrant area which is fast becoming the lynchpin of downtown,” says Cam.

“When we started ten years ago it was just the two of us, and now we’re an efficient, cohesive team of 15 agents and staff.

“Bas and I made a decision when we opened up that we would commit to the town and our business and we’ve certainly seen plenty of change in the past decade.

“We’ve raised our families here and we’re proud to support local community groups that mirror our own family values as well as those held by Ray White, which has had four generations of the White family at the helm over its 115-year history in Australasia.

“When the car smashed into our premises, our only reaction was one of relief that neither the driver or any of our staff were injured.

“As a result we’ve finally got a new showroom that’s bigger, better and brighter than ever before, showcasing our listings to visitors and passers-by and complementing the online and social media sales and marketing work carried out by our team.”

There are over 1100 Ray White offices in Australasia including over 165 in New Zealand. Ray White has a national market share of close to 20%, and local strength in Southern Lakes with offices in Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Cromwell and Te Anau.

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Two new businesses at The Landing in Queenstown

by July 12, 2018

Queenstown’s The Landing is drawing in two new businesses as the popular boutique retail centre continues to expand its offering.

Located in the district’s retail hub of Frankton, close to Remarkables Park Town Centre, Wakatipu High School and Queenstown Airport, The Landing is home to a wide range of established businesses that appeal to local, regional and visitor markets.

The two new businesses, EVE Beauty and Vū Jewellers, see moving to the Frankton area as a very positive move for their clientele.

Growth is the focus for makeup artist Genevieve Silcock who moved to Queenstown from Auckland three years ago and established EVE Makeup Artistry as a mobile business servicing the wedding industry.

With two makeup artists doing about 750 makeup services a year, the business has been running at full capacity for the past 18 months, so Genevieve is delighted to be opening the salon in mid-July with a bigger team offering a wider range of services.

“We’re opening up in The Landing because it’s a fantastic location that’s popular with locals and is really well established, with plenty of free parking,” she says.

“Currently a large percentage of our clients are brides travelling to Queenstown to get married, so we will continue the mobile service as many prefer us to come to them in the comfort of their accommodation on their big day.

“However opening a salon at The Landing will enable us to grow our local clientele with a much larger range of treatments on offer from manicures and pedicures to waxing, spray tans, eyelash extensions, makeup and makeup lessons.”

EVE Beauty will also stock a selection of makeup, skincare and beauty accessories previously lacking in the Queenstown retail space.

Meanwhile, Vū Jewellers is set to open in September this year.

Business owners Anna and Trond Johansson and Claire Antill are delighted to be launching a contemporary jewellery boutique at The Landing.

Vū Jewellers will feature a full jewellery workshop instore to design, make and repair jewellery.

As sister company to long-established Goldfields Jewellers in central Queenstown, the team will bring their artistic talents to bespoke handmade commissions using everything from precious metals and beautiful gemstones to funky silver jewellery.

They delight in taking old, unused or inherited jewellery and turning it into unique modern designs.

“We specialise in everything from modern takes on classic diamond rings to contemporary wearable art,” says Claire.

“There will be chunky silver bangles, funky rings, pendants and dangly earrings sitting alongside delicate gold and platinum pieces that show off the precious gemstones we’ve collected from around the world.”

Vū Jewellers will also offer valuations, repairs and full servicing for jewellery and watches.

Other businesses at The Landing include the hugely successful Odelay Café and Zambrero restaurant offering excellent food and beverage, and a range of interiors, fashion, gift, beauty, automotive and fitness offerings.

The surrounding Remarkables Park area continues to bring more people to the area thanks to the just completed 127-apartment Wyndham Garden Queenstown, the Toru Apartments (230 units) currently under construction and the new Ramada Kawarau River Hotel & Apartments to follow.

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Remarkables Residences development in Queenstown launches Stage Two

by June 14, 2018

The property market in Queenstown is showing no signs of a slowdown, with the second stage of a $200m residential development being launched this week.

The Remarkables Residences townhouse development in the popular Frankton area of Queenstown is launching another 46 homes onto the market, following the successful sell down of all but one of 56 Stage One homes.

Stage One comprised three to five-bedroom multi-storey townhouses, offering buyers the chance to get their foot in the door of the Queenstown market for a competitive price.

Construction is well underway on the first homes, with completion expected in summer 2019. Roughly half of the purchasers have been Queenstown locals who have bought as an investment property or to live in, while the remainder are a mix of Auckland based investors and holiday home owners.

Local realtors Sheryl Williams and Mark Martin from Bayleys Queenstown said buyers saw superb value for money in the homes and loved the configurations of the properties that had flexible living and renting opportunities.

Another 46 terraced homes are available in Stage Two, with prices ranging from just over $1.1million.

The new release properties have slightly different layouts to Stage One, after designers took buyer feedback on board and made the majority of the homes four-bedroom properties with four ensuites.

The development is being driven by GYP Properties Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore public-listed Global Yellow Pages Limited, and marketed by the Bayleys Realty Group.

Bayleys Projects’ General Manager Suzie Wigglesworth said the company was “very pleased” with the successful sell down of Stage One and that construction was underway.

“Remarkables Residences appeals greatly to owner occupiers as well as investors, with functional layouts and a location that provides convenience and accessibility,” she said.

“The annual capital growth in Queenstown continues to rise and the demand for residential properties is still at an all-time high.

“We believe Remarkables Residences offers what buyers are looking for, and its central location with the airport, major ski-fields, retail and dining all a walk or a short drive away makes it highly desirable.

“We’ve already received a high volume of interest in Stage Two and we expect these homes to sell out fairly quickly.”

The development aims to have a vibrant community of owners from all walks of life, from owner-occupiers through to seasonal-based workers.

The Remarkables Residences display suite at Five Mile Centre is open 12pm – 2pm weekdays and 12pm – 3pm Saturday and Sunday. To register interest or request further information go to www.remarkablesresidences.co.nz

About Remarkables Residences

Master-planned and designed by Auckland-based Ignite Architects, these are well-built, stylish and low-maintenance homes that are a very modern interpretation of popular developments of this kind.

Different building forms within each street offer individuality amidst a community, while each residence is thoughtfully designed to optimise sun and natural light. Quality fixtures and fittings are used alongside energy-efficient design elements for year-round comfort.

Green spaces incorporated in the development include a main public square and smaller Pocket Parks throughout the area. There are good links to surrounding biking and walking tracks, as well as easy access to public transport.

Remarkables Residences is in one of the most accessible parts of Queenstown, close to the airport and a very short walk to retail and hospitality outlets. It is just 15 minutes from central Queenstown and Arrowtown, and 30 minutes to ski fields.

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World-class freeride coaches hit the slopes at Treble Cone

by June 01, 2018

Some of the best freeride and ski race coaches in the world hit the slopes at Wanaka’s Treble Cone this winter, joining internationally-renowned instructors at the mountain’s Snowsports School.

Local young skiers (and snowboarders) can take skill levels and confidence up a notch or three with full and part-time children’s development programmes throughout the season.

Two-time New Zealand Freeride Athlete of the Year Sam Lee joins Team TC as head freeride coach for the first time, in something of a coup for the mountain.

His solid competition results around the world — including a podium in Alaska in 2017 — secured him a spot on the Freeride World Tour in 2018 and 2019. As well as coaching Team TC this winter he’ll be coaching the NZ Freeride Team.

Sam will coach alongside Louis Charnaud, who has instructed all over the world including New Zealand, Japan, USA and Switzerland. Louis also competes in Big Mountain skiing in the Freeride World Qualifier events.

Meanwhile head ski race coach Michael Shenkel is no stranger to Treble Cone’s slopes, embarking on an impressive 24th season at TC in 2018.

Mike holds USSA National Coach Level 400 and PSIA Level 3 qualifications and has had a long and successful career of ski race coaching in New Zealand and the States, with 72 seasons under his belt.

Yes, he loves his US mountains, but TC is his ‘favourite’ when it comes to leading the coaching team and seeing the progression and growth of kids on and off snow.

Meanwhile, youngsters aspiring to work their way up to Team TC level have plenty of other ski and snowboard packages and lessons to choose from.

Already renowned worldwide for Mother Nature’s natural bowls and challenging upper-mountain runs, in recent years the much-loved ski area has developed rewarding intermediate terrain.

It’s unique among Southern Lakes ski areas in having a Northwest-facing learners and beginners area alongside the base building, bathed in sunshine and warmth all season-long and perfect for those having their first ‘on-snow’ experience.

TC’s renowned Snowsports School delivers superb value lessons and packages range from tailored learn to ski and snowboard packages to high intensity adult packages that sell out year after year.

Littlies happily start their time on the slopes with a Ski School Kitty Cat Lesson for five-and-unders including a one-hour rental, one-on-one lesson and all-day learner lift access for just $99.

A full-day solution for families is a child lesson (ages 6 to 17) which includes drop off from 9am, two group lessons, lunch and pick up at 4pm (rentals and lift additional).

School holidays are a breeze with five-day school camps starting on July 9, July 16 and July 23 for youngsters wanting to hone ski race, freeski or snowboarding skills. Camps include two group lessons daily and are a steal at just $499 per camp (a saving of $171 on full retail child group lesson prices).

Treble Cone’s official Burton Learn to Ride Programme provides specialised snowboard equipment designed to smooth the transition from beginner to intermediate rider.

TC’s much-loved Riders and Sliders and Riders (for kids aged from four to 17) and Sliders Mini (three and four-year-olds ski only) runs for six consecutive Sundays from July 29.

For Wanaka, Queenstown and Central Otago parents (and others!) Treble Cone’s premium ski improvement and development camps for adults are back after a highly successful 2017 season. Sofa Ski Camps have top hand-picked coaches leading five-day intensive camps suitable for intermediate to expert skiers.

Sofa Ski Camps run over seven weeks throughout the season and two programmes in August are already sold out – so get in quick!

Value-add packages across the board include a Learner Lift Package, Lift Package and Lesson, Progression Package and Learn to Ski Package.

About Treble Cone

Renowned for its 550 hectares of skiable terrain and the longest vertical in the Southern Alps, Treble Cone is the perfect destination for every level of skier or snowboarder.

The sheer size of its skiable terrain, from 30% to more than 50% bigger than surrounding areas, means lift queues are a rarity, even on a powder day, and slopes are wide open and crowd-free.

Access to the mountain in 2018 will be easier than ever with a free TC Mountain Shuttle driving guests from the bottom of the access road straight to the slopes.

Kids under 6 ski or board for free ($20 card fee applies) and there’s free helmet rental with every child rental or child lift and rental package, subject to availability. The Magic Carpet and snowplay area remain free to all.

Treble Cone’s 2018 season runs from June 28 to September 23. For further information go to www.treblecone.com

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