Renee Goldup posted on February 10, 2011 14:47
One of New Zealand’s top tourist routes, renowned for its stunning coastal and inland scenery, has now been extended to include Queenstown.
Destination Queenstown was invited to join the Southern Scenic Route Steering Group by current members Venture Southland, Tourism Dunedin, Destination Fiordland, Clutha District Council, the Department of Conservation and New Zealand Transport Agency.
The 440km road trip was previously a half loop between Dunedin and Te Anau through Balclutha, the Catlins, Invercargill, Bluff, Riverton and Tuatapere. It will now extend an extra 161 km to Queenstown, taking in the townships of Mossburn, Five Rivers, Athol, Garston and Kingston along the way.
Destination Queenstown CEO Tony Everitt is pleased to officially put Queenstown on the Southern Scenic Route map and believes it will provide another strong proposition to attract visitors.
“The Southern Scenic Route brings together the best of the south and is a fantastic way to promote and showcase our natural environment and scenery, wildlife, heritage, and people. As New Zealand’s oldest touring route, it’s a truly iconic experience.
“We hope that extending the route to start or finish in Queenstown will enhance the southern experience and add our spectacular alpine scenery to the mix.
“Queenstown’s addition at this time reflects the growth of the region as a tourism hub. By providing visitors with an international airport at each end of the route, in Queenstown and Dunedin, it’s even easier for visitors to access.
The idea for the Southern Scenic Route was born in 1985 by Tuatapere locals John Fraser and Les Hutchins. John and Les were ironically not working together on the idea but came up with it almost simultaneously.
After much hard work and lobbying, the Southern Scenic Route officially opened in 1988 and has since firmly established itself as a ‘must do’ New Zealand tourism experience.
Mr Fraser is delighted the route will now extend to Queenstown and believes it is great news for tourism in the south.
“Our original concept was for the Southern Scenic Route to be between Queenstown and Dunedin but it proved to be a logistical nightmare at the time. It’s fantastic that it’s finally come to fruition.”
New Southern Scenic Route signage has been erected in Frankton and further along the route at Five Rivers and Mossburn. The official Southern Scenic Route website and brochure have been completely refreshed and updated to include the route extension. Around 60,000 copies of the brochure will be distributed to i-SITE centres and key tourism destinations around New Zealand over the next 12 months.
For more information about the Southern Scenic Route go to www.southernscenicroute.co.nz
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