On Saturday afternoon, part of the new restaurant in Coronet Peak's new base building was blocked off for the official opening ceremony, which included a plaque being unveiled, which was a surprise to almost everyone in the room.
The plaque was presented by NZSki Ltd board vice-chairman Graham Smolenski to chairman John Davies in recognition of his "tenacity and vision" in making the dream of the building become a reality.
The plaque reads: "From the directors and management of NZSki Ltd we have named this building JSD's Lodge at Coronet Peak, in recognition of John's vision and determination to have this facility constructed on this site."
"That really says it all," Mr Smolenski said.
An emotional Mr Davies accepted the plaque before the crowd, which gave him an impromptu standing ovation.
Mr Davies said he was honoured to have been acknowledged, but wished his wife, Trish, who was in hospital at the weekend, could have been at the ceremony.
The presentation was the end of the opening, which had seen speeches from NZSki chief executive James Coddington and Mr Davies.
Mr Coddington said when he woke up on Saturday morning, "it was like I was 6 years old again and Christmas had come around".
The project had taken seven months and seven days to complete - something many people said was impossible.
Mr Coddington thanked those in the community whose support made the project possible and particularly those involved in the physical works from Arrow International and the architect, Michael Wyatt.
He also paid special tribute to Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie.
"Hamish and I went through quite a journey together . . . many, many sleepless nights and . . . Hamish's passion, his expertise and his desire to get the job done, it certainly made my job a lot easier.
"Hamish's expertise over 30 years . . . to help a young whippersnapper like myself is just fantastic, so thank you."
Mr Coddington said 40% of all tourists to New Zealand visited Queenstown and the new development - which includes increased snow-making capacity and a new state-of-the-art snow-making system - was the "backbone of infrastructure" in the resort.
"We're very, very proud of this development. It's the closest thing we can get for future-proofing our business and we've future-proofed Queenstown as a destination.
"You only had to walk around town last week when the mountain was closed to appreciate what effect there is when NZSki is open and what effect there is when NZSki is closed.
"What we get to open here . . . it's from a very strong, purposeful vision from our shareholders and board of directors and their unwavering commitment to get it right.
"We're getting pretty damned close."
Mr Davies said the development would have the biggest impact on the business in Queenstown in his lifetime.
"I've been involved in a number of considerable developments; none come close to what's been achieved here . . . what an outstanding team effort."
