"The real justification is to offer an alternative route to Te Anau and Milford and accommodate the increasing popularity of cyclists and opening up the additional scenic attractions by way of the Mavora Lakes and establishing overnight accommodation en route to that destination," Sir Clifford said yesterday, at a Queenstown Lakes District Council resource consent notification determination hearing chaired by commissioner David Whitney.
Sir Clifford (79) is founder of family-owned Skeggs Group Ltd, which owns Southern Discoveries Ltd, operators of five scenic passenger boats in Milford Sound, a major marina in Fiji and a recently acquired small two-boat business called Queenstown Fishing Charters.
The company proposes a variation on a previous consent to replace the Queenstown Princess (which came with the purchase of Queenstown Fishing Charters) with the much larger 200-passenger boat Lady of the Sounds, which it would move from Milford Sound and put on Lake Wakatipu.
The council contends that because the Lady of the Sounds is much bulkier, it will be more visible from businesses around the Queenstown Bay quay and the resource consent variation should be publicly notified.
Sir Clifford said Lake Wakatipu was more than 100 times bigger than Milford Sound - which he called the "eighth wonder of the world".
Milford Sound had 14 tourist launches carrying 480,000 passengers per year on the 20.4sq km fiord.
Lake Wakatipu had "total waterways in excess of 290,100 hectares (2901sq km)" but only one major tourist vessel - the TSS Earnslaw - along with two smaller vessels that could accommodate approximately 70 passengers, plus jet-boats.
The impact of the new boat on the heritage value of the historic Earnslaw is also at issue, although Skeggs Group managing director David Skeggs said Southern Discoveries' proposal for day trips, dinner excursions and corporate cruises on Lake Wakatipu was "different from the Earnslaw - we see it as an extension of the products that can be offered to tourists".
"Obviously, we hope it goes our way but the cards will fall where they may," Southern Discoveries general manager John Robson said.
Mr Whitney adjourned the hearing - allowing him to seek further information from both the council and Southern Discoveries - and said he would give a decision within 15 working days.
