Floating, motorised spa pools: Queenstown's newest tourism proposal
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Two men behind a plan to bring floating spa pools to Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu are yet to sample the soak themselves.
Civil engineer Jake Allen and aero commercial manager Michael Hawley learnt about the spas from a friend in Europe and thought it was a great idea for Queenstown.
“I think it will be pretty amazing sitting in one of the most beautiful locations in the world under the Remarkables,” Allen said.
They have formed Soak Industries Ltd and applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for resource consent to operate five of the motorised spa pools from Frankton Marina.
The application is being vetted and Allen said they were working closely with the Queenstown Coastguard and harbour master to ensure the spas would be as safe as possible.
That might yet require passengers wearing a life jacket belt, he said.
“We’re getting more comfortable with the idea. We don’t think it will affect the experience much.”
They were intending for passengers to be allowed two standard drinks while on board, excluding the designated skipper who would be required to be sober.
They would purchase the “high spec” pools from the United States, each costing a “large portion of a house deposit”, especially once GST, duties and shipping costs were included, Allen said.
The pools were recently approved by the US Coastguard and were considered “unsinkable”, weighing about 640kg without being filled with water, he said.
About 850mm of the spa sat underwater and 300mm above the surface.
Between two and six people would be permitted in each spa at any one time for up to 90 minutes.
They were 4m long, electrically powered and could travel up to 5 knots within an area about 1.8km long and 600m wide.
They would operate between 8am and 8pm and guests would not be allowed to access the foreshore at Frankton Beach.
A safety boat would be based at the marina and be available by radio and/or phone at all times, being only minutes away.
The water would be heated by propane or wood with a built-in saltwater cleaning and UV filtration system, meaning no water would be discharged into the lake.
The application was still be vetted by the council, but the men hoped to be operating by the end of 2023, Allen said.
“It’s a bit of an adventure.”
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Make your family aware: Scam posing as officers returns
A phone scam is re-emerging with cold calling swindlers claiming to be Police officers.
New Zealand Police are advising the public to be vigilant, after a handful of reports have been made in recent days. Unfortunately, at least two elderly Aucklanders have been conned out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Waitematā CIB’s Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting says scammers are cold calling, mainly on landlines, and claim to be a Police officer.“They will also provide a fake ID or badge number to make their call seem legitimate,” he says.“This person will carry on and provide a reason for their call: either they are investigating fake bank notes, or that your credit card has been cloned.
“As part of this scam, they will ask you to withdraw money from a nearby bank to be collected or ask you to provide further financial or banking information to aid their investigation.”
Be aware: this is a scam call.
Police are investigating two reports this week, in south Auckland and the North Shore, where two people have fallen victim to the scam. “Both victims withdrew cash from a bank and handed this over to someone who arrived at their door to collect it under the fake cover story,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says.“These victims have had their good-will and trust trodden on by these scammers.”
Investigation staff have ensured there is support available for the victims. Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says: “Scammers have no ethics whatsoever and will take any opportunity to try and con you.“These scams take many forms, and the offenders trick people under a variety of guises or storylines.”
There are occasions where legitimate Police officers will contact people as part of their duties, he says.
Police are asking the community to be aware and take the opportunity to spread the word amongst friends and family members. “We are particularly keen to ensure elder family members are aware of what is happening,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says. “If anyone receives a call of this nature, hang up.
“If you have had the unfortunate position of being a victim to this scam and have not reported this, we encourage you to report this to Police.”
Please remember:
- Police will never call to ask you for bank details, pin numbers or passwords
- Police do not offer prize money
- Police will not ask you to go to a bank to withdraw money
- If you receive a call out of the blue of a similar nature: challenge the caller to identify themselves, ask for their details.
- Hang up, contact 105 to verify the ID and request the officer to contact you
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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