Real Journeys launches $1.5m worker accommodation

17th January 2020 By Bridget O'Connell | bridget@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Real Journeys rural team members Aled Jones and Grace Williams at the new accommodation. Image: TT

Real Journeys has opened the first $1.5m phase of a new staff village at its popular Walter Peak farm tourism attraction, as the group keeps the door open for further developments across its Queenstown operation.

The Wayfare-owned business has installed three new dwellings, comprising 10 bedrooms in total, which were constructed off-site at Archer Construction in Invercargill and trucked to the high country farm in October, for final fit out and connection to utilities.

This month, the first employees started moving into the buildings, which can house between 10 and 20 staff with all rooms expected to be fully occupied over coming weeks as landscaping took place.

Rooms are allocated on a first come, first served basis, although preference is given to senior staff members at the operation which visitors access via the iconic Earnslaw steamship cruise across Lake Wakatipu. They cost $95 a week for a single room occupant and $140 per couple, including food and all utilities.

This is significantly cheaper than other accommodation options in the resort, where the average rental for a three-bedroom unfurnished house is around $900 a week, according to Tenancy Services figures.

Richard Lauder

Wayfare chief executive Richard Lauder said that the next phase of the development would see the relocation and refurbishment of existing staff accommodation on the station – two buildings totalling 7 bedrooms – to the village.

In total the precinct has been designed for up to 50 staff, with plans allowing for a further nine new dwellings to be added to bring the village to a total of 14 buildings with a mix of 1, 2, 4 and 6 bedrooms.

These would be brought forward as needed, according to Lauder, who said that the provision of staff accommodation was nothing new for the group as it does the same in Milford Sound and Stewart Island, but recognised the need to provide an option in the resort town where a shortage of housing was impacting the labour market.

Real Journeys has pumped millions of dollars into improvements at Walter Peak after buying the land and facilities that underpin its operations in 2013. These include improving the dining facilities, an overhaul of the food & beverage offering and the development of a new amphitheatre for the farm show.

Lauder said the Earnslaw cruise and farm tourism operations were now right-sized with the steamship carrying 400 visitors to the station, which can accommodate 150 on its farm tour and 250 dining.

It is still progressing plans for a second vessel to join the Earnslaw on Lake Wakatipu, with initial designs for the boat described as having modern amenities but visually in keeping with the existing experience. However, there were no immediate plans to move to detailed design, especially in the face of waning international visitor growth to New Zealand – the major market for Real Journeys in Queenstown.

The company had also completed conservation work, the Walter Peak Land Restoration Project, involving the removal of wilding pines and replanting of native plants on Beach Point, which has led to a question mark being placed over the possibility of further tourism development on some of its Walter Peak property.

It is understood that when Real Journeys purchased the 155 hectare property in 2013, parts of the site were zoned to allow for further development – including a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and accommodation – under Queenstown Lakes District Council’s long term plan.

However, since the successful wilding pine removal and replanting, the council is now keen to re-zone the land as part of its new 10-year plan, in a move that would curtail development rights Real Journeys is seeking to preserve, although there is no appetite for immediate and extensive development.

Since taking ownership of the land, Real Journeys had also introduced a new e-motorbike trail ride experience on Walter Peak, but ended that operation ahead of this summer season after finding it was operationally demanding and not attracting consistent numbers of experienced riders.

Lauder said that a lot of people who turned up for the experience couldn’t ride motorbikes, which was challenging for the guide taking a group of mixed abilities, but it was very difficult to screen visitors to address this. He also said that they had to allocate seats on Earnslaw sailings for the experience – which were not always filled – but could otherwise have been sold to cruise passengers.