American Plans Hunting Lodge In S.L

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31923, 26 February 1969, Page 1

American Plans Hunting Lodge In S.L

The plans of the American who has acquired 2500 acres of freehold Crown land in the Upukerora Valley, near Te Anau, envisage a sportsmen’s lodge of international standard.

In Christchurch yesterday Mr R. S. Rush said he expected the investment in the project to be about §350,000 and §400,000. The application for the land was granted on Monday. Mr Rush plans a singlestorey lodge with diningroom, kitchen, bar, and general facilities, and individual cabins on the edge of nearby busji. Between 40 and 50 guests will be accommodated. An outdoor heated swimming pool, a sauna pool, trail horses, perhaps a walk-up skeet range, and tennis

courts are also envisaged. Initially there will be a resident staff of at least 12. Fulltime shooting and fishing guides will be available and, when necessary, these will be supplemented. “We are trying to achieve a hunting and fishing lodge which caters primarily, for the sportsman. Sportsmen will go anywhere in the world if the shooting and fishing are good, provided there is comfort and ease of access to the game,” said Mr Rush. He said he believed that deep Southland offered the greatest variety of fresh water fishing and shooting in New Zealand. Mr Rush has formed a company, based in Christchurch, known as Takaro Properties, Ltd. which has an initial capital of §NZ2OO,OOO ordinary shares. “We are making no call on New Zealand capital—the $

bulk of it will be from overseas. It is probable that we will sell some additional shares to New Zealand investors. Eventually, it is planned to have a board of directors from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and perhaps from Europe," he said. Included in the costs are roading—seven to nine miles of metalled road will be needed —and provision of an airstrip.

Mr Rush said that early next month an American architect of Norwegian descent, Mr Henrik Bull, would arrive to look at the site and do the initial planning. He is well known in the United States for his designing of mountain-type buildings. After Mr Bull has completed his work the Christchurch company will employ a New Zealand architectural firm to prepare working

drawings and supervise the project. “We hope to provide the sort of habitat which would encourage -the development of the sporting bird population, although we will do nothing to contravene the game authorities. We will, in fact, work very closely with the Wildlife Division of the Department of Internal Affairs,” said Mr Rush. “There will be no closed access to the lodge,” he said. “The same laws apply to me as apply to any New Zealanders holding land. There are no special concessions involved.”

Mr Rush hopes to have a road leading in to the site of the lodge before winter and said he would like to begin some type of construction in six to eight months.

He said that he was not in New Zealand to “make a fast buck”. “I know there Is an atti-

tude of ‘don’t sell our land to the Americans’. 1 believe that this kind of comment was perhaps valid in the 1930 s and 1940 s during the days of exploitation by what were once described as those dirty capitalists. But I do not believe any intelligent businessman today still holds such views.”

Mr Rush came to New Zealand in March, 1957, on a combined business-pleasure trip. He subsequently has spent four months and a half of the last 11 months in the Dominion.

“I was looking for a project such as this lodge and I looked at existing stations and undeveloped land

throughout New Zealand before I chose the site in the Upukerora Valley,” he said.

Mr Rush is a member of an old Philadelphia family. His great great-grandfather, Dr Benjamin Rush, was a signa-

tory to the Declaration of Independence and was the Sur-geon-General of the Revolutionary Army under General Washington. Dr Rush was also the founder of the Rush Medical School. Mr Rush’s great-grand-father, Richard Rush, was a former ambassador to England and later France, under President Monroe. Mr Rush, who has always been interested in hunting and fishing, graduated from Princeton University in 1953. He then spent two years and

a half as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving at the end of the Korean war and in Japan.

On his return to the United States he was involved in investment banking in San

Francisco but later left to become chairman of a science and technological firm, the holdings in which he has since disposed of.