Wood-fired hot tubs overlooking Lake Wakatipu could be Queenstown's latest offering to adrenaline junkies needing to let their muscles recover and leisurely tourists wanting the views but not the adrenaline.
Hamish MacPherson (39), who grew up in Southland, and his fiance Jana Conway (31) want to set up a series of 12 hot tubs on about 33.7ha of vacant land below the Heritage Villas in Fernhill.
The total cost for the venture was estimated to be more than $3 million.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council's community services committee will discuss the proposal at its meeting today with the recommendation to endorse a lease, subject to obtaining necessary consents and a list of terms and conditions.
The application said each ''pod'' would be separated by native bush, have its own unique view and be a minimum of 10m apart from the neighbouring pod.
''Each pod is made up of a smart architecturally designed change room with outdoor shower and wood-fired hot tub that can hold between 2-6 people,'' the application said.
''Guests will be taken care of with some quality local food and drink, get pampered with a massage and soak in the breathtaking views from the comfort of the wood-fired hot tub.''
Only the council's reticulated water supply had been considered in detail for the proposal as other options were unsuitable or too expensive.
The application said it was anticipated ''pool water disposal from the development will be able to occur at an off-peak time to ensure that demand on the QLDC infrastructure capacity is low''.
The total peak daily demand of water is estimated to be more than 15,000 litres.
An attached letter from Kiwi Tub director Steve August, who sells the tubs, said they were not spa pools: they did not need electricity, chemicals or plumbing, rather they ran on lpg gas or firewood.
A ''rent holiday'' had been requested by Mr MacPherson and Ms Conway.
''Due to the considerable investment by MHT [MacPherson Hot Tubs] with no landlord contribution we require favourable rental terms (initially). We request a rent holiday of one year and staggered rental rates to get to a ceiling of 7.5% of turnover over five trading years.''
They acknowledged that there was another ''hot tub operation in the Wakatipu Basin'' and said their business ''will offer a private luxury experience''.
