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Mount Cavendish Gondola, Christchurch
A 360o overview of development management.
The Location
Originally called Mt Cavendish Gondola, the Christchurch Gondola is situated on the Port hills crater rim, overlooking Lyttelton Harbour on one side and Heathcote, Christchurch City and the Canterbury Plains on the other. It offers 360o views of harbour, coastline and plain, to the Southern Alps.
Access involves a 945m gondola ride from Heathcote Valley. On reaching the top station, visitors can enjoy function facilities, a viewing platform, retail outlet, caf?, restaurant and ‘Time Tunnel’ display interpreting the geological and cultural history of the area. Exterior experiences involve informative nature walks that can depart or arrive from the top station, and mountain bike tracks. This sub-alpine environment is barely twenty minutes drive from the centre of the city.
The Challenges
Many obstacles had to be assessed and overcome to make the project a reality and, most importantly there had to be involvement and support from Heathcote and Lyttelton local residents.
The Port Hills environment sits in delicate balance and the major physical challenges required engineering solutions that had to take into account the steep gradient, lack of water, harsh sunlight, occasional high winds and snow. Innovative conservation measures were employed such as the uprooting and transportation of specimens of sensitive flora to a nearby nursery until they could be returned unharmed to their native habitat on project completion.
The Christchurch Gondola project took from 1985 until 1992 to complete, requiring vision and perseverance from the project managers and contractors. Costs amounted to $11m.
The Solution
Davis Ogilvie had key experience in ski area engineering and development management to bring to the gondola project. The company managed the entire project, with visionary partner Peter Yeoman overseeing all aspects and steering it through a protracted five-year consent application and public notification process to completion. Davis Ogilvie supplied surveying, structural and civil engineering, planning, land negotiation and project management expertise, as well as tourism venture advice.
The Result
Canterbury now has a successful visitor destination completely different from anything else in the region. Not only is it a valuable addition to the list of ‘must see’ tourist attractions, it is also a venue for all types of local function, from business to social. It remains a significant employer in the area and contributes to the local economy.