Hostel construction next summer

Press, 18 March 1985, Page 2

Hostel construction next summer

Construction of a new youth hostel at Mount Cook will start next summer, the national president of the Youth Hostels Association of New Zealand, Sir Michael Fowler, has announced in Wellington. The new hostel would have 50 beds, which was double the capacity of the present hostel. “At a cost of $650,000, the hostel is the most ambitious project undertaken by the association in its 53-year history,” he said. The association had already raised $230,000 towards the project, leaving a target of $420,000 to raise before the end of the year. A national fund-raising campaign would be launched, with approaches made to the Government and the business sector. “After last week’s visit to

New Zealand by Dennis Lewis, the secretary-general of the International Youth Hostel Federation, the federation is expected to assist the project, particularly with approaches to large corporations," Sir Michael said. Money has already begun coming in. The Minister of Tourism, Mr Moore, has sent a cheque from his department for $26,330 towards the hostel fund. Sir Michael said the present hostel was open in 1958, but its replacement had been a priority for the association since 1970. Planning had started in 1974, but other projects and rising costs had delayed the replacement until now. The site of the present hostel would be needed for car-parking soon, and the association thought a

hostel at Mount Cook was crucial to its national network. The site for the new hostel had been provided by the Mount Cook National Park Board and was opposite Glencoe Lodge, at the corner of Kitchener Drive and Bowen Drive, Sir Michael said. The new hostel will have a maximum of six beds a room — a move away from the older, dormitory-style accommodation. The overnight charge will be $2 to $4 higher than other New Zealand hostels because of the higher cost of construction at the Mount Cook National Park. The hostel will have a day room with limited washing and cooking facilities, allowing hostellers to stay indoors in bad weather.