Project Skyline
All you need to know about our history, phases of construction and key dates.
We Temporarily Closed Our Doors to Change Things UP!
On the evening of the 22nd of April 2023, the last 4-seat Gondola cabin descended Bob’s Peak after 36 years of making life-long memories for millions of travellers from all over the world. All 36 Gondola cabins were removed from the cableway and from this moment, there was no public access to Skyline Queenstown until we reopened with the new 10-seat Gondola. On the morning of Monday 24th of April, Skyline Queenstown handed over the management of all facilities to our Key Construction Partners Naylor Love, and Austrian lift company Doppelmayr.
Discover what happened at Skyline during the Gondola Changeover, as we marked the end of an era for the iconic 4-seat Gondola and change over to the new Doppelmayr 10-seat Gondola.
Installing the New Gondola Towers
Within the first 2 weeks of Skyline Queenstown closing to the public, there was a hive of activity on Bob’s Peak. The Gondola cable was removed from the hillside, the tower replacement commenced and the terminal buildings began deconstruction.
How we replaced the Gondola towers
- A crane removed the lower 2 Gondola towers and lifted the new towers into place.
- A Eurocopter B3 helicopter replaced the 3rd tower.
- A Bell UH-1 Iroquois (aka a ‘Huey’) will replace the 4th, 5th and 6th towers located high on Bob’s Peak.
Splicing the Gondola Cable
The Gondola Cable arrived on site with 2 ends. It was threaded around the Gondola line and both ends had to be spliced together to create a seamless loop of cable.
The splicing of the Gondola Cable took place in the last week of May, led by a team of experts from Austria. Only a handful of people worldwide are licensed to do this incredibly specialized piece of work.
Restarting the Gondola
Another milestone was celebrated on the 6th of June with the highly anticipated restart day, with the new cabins being loaded onto the cable to enter the testing phase. The testing phase included our dedicated team working hard to ensure that every aspect of the gondola system meets and surpasses the highest safety standards.
The Reopening
Skyline Queenstown reopened its doors on the 29th of June 2023 with the brand new state-of-the-art 10-seat Doppelmayr Gondola and a completed top Gondola terminal building.
Ongoing works include:
- Construction at the base terminal on Brecon Street, working to complete the ticketing hall by November 2023.
- Construction of our multi-storey car park building on Brecon Street – set for completion in March 2024.
- Construction at the top complex building on Bob’s Peak as we escalate work on The BIG UPGRADE – which will include a new world-class restaurant and retail facilities.
