A proposed cable car for Queenstown has revived interest in a previous idea for a similar venture in Wānaka.

It was announced this week that Southern Infrastructure and Doppelmayer are designing a Queenstown cable car which could transport as many as 3,000 passengers each hour.

The cable car proposal, which could be submitted to Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) later this year, would connect downtown Queenstown to Frankton and Queenstown Airport.

Last year former Wānaka councillor Lyal Cocks attended a presentation on a ‘Whoosh’ cable car trial billed for Remarkables Park, and floated the idea of having something similar in Wānaka.

He said he raised the idea with Three Parks developer Allan Dippie last year who thought it was a good idea.

“I believe cable car options should be included in our transport strategies for Wānaka,” Lyal told the Wānaka App this week.

“Considering the long lead times to get infrastructure in place, now is the time to investigate alternative options to our traditional systems, such as a cable car.”

Read more: Innovative Wānaka cable car idea floated

Lyal, who has just returned from a visit to Europe, said Porto in Portugal has a cable car operating in its transport network.

He said the trial planned for Remarkables Park had taken longer than he envisaged and as a result “the interest in Wānaka has waned a bit over time”.  

“But it should not be discounted as we need to plan for an effective system before the problem of vehicle congestion gets too great,” he said.

“For example, many years back light rail was considered for Queenstown but discounted due to estimated costs. In hindsight, it may have been more cost effective than what has been spent on transport systems and may have prevented current congestion issues.”

Lyal said such cable cars run on minimal power and there is no visible pollution to the landscape.

Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr launched a case for adding aerial cable cars to New Zealand's urban transport mix almost exactly a year ago (November 29, 2024). 

The Queenstown proposal could include cabins departing every 12 seconds on a fully electric, zero emissions service, with construction beginning as early as 2027.

PHOTO: Supplied