The traffic gridlock in Wānaka during parts of Easter is being reviewed by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), which has suggested Three Parks may not be a suitable site for large events.

The final Wheels At Wānaka event attracted more than 65,000 people, most of whom attended on Saturday (April 19) - the day with the best weather forecast.

Traffic was backed up for kilometres on all the major roads to and through Three Parks for hours on Saturday and every available parking space was taken.

QLDC deputy mayor Quentin Smith said he was told of someone spending 45 minutes getting across Wānaka, a one and a half hour trip to get from Queensberry to Wānaka, and “even one story of one and a half hours from downtown to Mitre 10”. 

“I think in real terms this can only be described as a complete failure of our transport network,” he said. 

Deputy mayor Quentin Smith says there was “a complete failure of our transport network”. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“Peak demand on infrastructure is a major challenge for Wānaka, often [requiring us] to massively over-supply expensive infrastructure well above the average demand to meet the peak demands that can be three times or more normal populations.”  

Quentin acknowledged the success of Wheels At Wānaka and said “events play an important part in our local economy”.

“We welcome events but this was certainly at or past the limit of what our infrastructure can cope with. While transport is one thing, mostly inconvenient, we simply cannot afford to have the same issues falling short with water, sewerage or power supply,” he said.

Wheels At Wānaka general manager Allan Dippie also acknowledged the traffic problems during Easter, saying while the event had “plenty of parking and a robust traffic management plan in place, the roading network simply isn’t designed to cope with the level of traffic experienced on Saturday morning”. 

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A QLDC spokesperson told the Wānaka App the council’s events team is reviewing the Easter traffic issues with elected members and other council departments as well as talking to the Wheels At Wānaka event organisers.

“While we can't speak for the owners, ongoing development at Three Parks may well preclude future events of a similar size at this specific location,” the spokesperson said.

“The requirements of all events regarding their demand for services including power supply, water and wastewater are considered as part of each consent application.

“It's worth noting that Warbirds over Wānaka attracts a huge number of people to the Upper Clutha every other year but, while still incredibly busy, the event's location at the airport probably puts less strain on roads closer to the township.”

The spokesperson said this year's Wheels At Wānaka was largely self-sufficient, with privately-owned portaloos and generators for power supply, as well as QLDC's water trailers and a 10,000 litre water tank.

He also noted this year’s Wheels at Wānaka was the last of its kind.