Turner Heights—a flying visit

Press, 26 December 1979, Page 5

Turner Heights—a flying visit

Flying into Queenstown on a clear, blue day is an experience to gladden the • heart of the most hardbitten traveller. Sunshine glinting off the lake, the last vestiges of snow on the mountain peaks, the green and brown patchwork of the fields and the rocky, rugged hills circling the deep glacial valleys make the approach to Queenstown airport breath-taking. Our guest on this flying visit to New Zealand's ■number one holiday spot was Miss Karin Bergsteng, the South Pacific representative of Interval International. Her mission in

New Zealand was to inspect both the area and the facilities offered by the Turner Heights development, with a view to their acceptance in the Interval Timeshare Network. Miss Bergsteng had warmed to the idea before we had landed. Even to a professional resort visitor, Queenstown is an impressive sight. Its charm at ground-level lives ' up to all expectations. A quick breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup in the Mall, the main street of Queenstown, and we were ready to see the newest addition to the re-

sort’s accommodation alternatives. Turner Heights has been built on the hill behind the town's centre, overlooking the lake just five minutes walk away from the main street. Like most of Queenstown’s more modern architecture, Turner Heights has been designed to complement the environment. Its steeply-pitched roofs are reminiscent of the nearby mountains; its col-our-scheme echoes the local landscape. Inside, the town houses are warm, comfortable and spacious — certainly more so than most motel rooms.

The atmosphere is that of a home — even the smallest details have been attended to. Pot plants, paintings and ornaments give the rooms a lived-in feel, and furniture and furnishings are of the highest standard. The houses are, in fact, what their advertising claims; luxury holiday homes. A brief but thorough inspection confirmed the fact for Miss Bergsteng. Interval International would be proud to number Turner Heights among its network of 200 resort timeshare developments. Owners of Turner Heights

time-shares would be free to exchange their Queenstown holidays with similar owners all over the world. The business of the trip successfully completed, we were free to see the sights. Lunch at one of the Mail’s delightful restaurants, shopping (even on a Saturday) in the town, a jet boat excursion up the Shotover Gorge and a visit to historic Arrowtown saw the afternoon draw into evening. Time and our pilot dictated a return to the airport and a satisfied — if subnurbed — flight back to the city.