Visitors to Twizel increase threefold

Press, 5 March 1988, Page 8

Visitors to Twizel increase threefold

By

DAVID CLARKSON

An increase in tourist numbers arid permanent residents is admeasure of Twizel’s new lease of life, says the part-owner of the township’s ißasil Lodge holiday) centre, Mr Paul McLachlan. I The lodge lis doing three times the business it was a year) agri, at a time when the tqurist industry is reporting; a drop in trade |in I some other centres; i Mr McLachlan has also noticed! permanent residents Returning to Twizel now that itri years as a village! serving the region’s hydro-electric development have ended. “Over the period of the power i project many people; have lived here temporarily, and have fallen ! in love with the area,” he said. > Quite a number were now drifting back to work in the ;area, build up businesses; or ; retire there. The population was growing fast, he! said.

"It comes straight from the fact that people just like the weather in the area and like the countryside.” i

Basil Lodge , has now been open for 14 months. Before that the premises were staff quarters for Ministry of Works and Development engineers working on the hydro project.

It offers 200 beds as budget accommodation. Many of its ! visitors are from overseas, but the lodge aims for the domestic market. ! i

Its 100-seat Rainbow Restaurant has recently beem expanded with a 40seat outdoor area.

People were rediscovering the Mackenzie Basin for its fishing, ski-ing, tramping, boating and swimming possibilities, Mr McLachlan said. I Lake Ruataniwha, a man-made lake, had been designed for recreation. It was shallow and warmed up i quickly, and had some good swimming places. I Lake Ohau was also ‘‘quite swimmable,” but Lake Pukaki was “definitely cold,” he said. ! “People perhaps think of Twizel as well down south whereas in actual fact it is north of Timaru. It is inland,ion a plateau, and the weather is about as reliable as you can get.”