At Your Leisure: Have Your Say, Skiing the South Is Talk, Arrowtown Pool Opening, QEC Road Upgrade & Christmas is Coming!

9 Dec 2011 - Sophie

Welcome to the latest edition of At Your Leisure, your connection to leisure, recreation, venues and entertainment in the Southern Lakes.

There’s just two weeks left to have your say on the proposed Master Facilities Plan (MFP) that Lakes Leisure has put together for the development of the indoor and outdoor facilities at Queenstown Events Centre. This plan has been designed to help meet the growing demand for sports and recreation in our community, and your feedback will be considered by Council during their Long Term Plan (2012-2022) process so make sure you have your say.

If you’re interested in ensuring we can adequately support sports in this area for current and future generations, please check out the plan and give us your feedback via our quick survey. For further details and the survey, go http://www.lakesleisure.co.nz/qec-mfp.html.

We encourage you to pass these details on, as the more voices that are heard the better, and we thank you in advance for your feedback – it’s an essential part of the process.

Cheers,

Fiona McKissock
CEO of Lakes Leisure

NEW OUTDOOR FITNESS CIRCUIT OPEN TO ALL!
Our new outdoor running & fitness circuit is open and free for the entire community to use. There are two different circuits 1.5km and 1.1km long and the 19 stations are equipped with specialist outdoor strength equipment or exercise instructions, as seen in the picture here. We’ve even got beginner and advanced options so it’s suitable for all fitness levels, although hobbits may wish to bring a stool in places! The circuit begins from the first car park on the left at the Queenstown Events Centre. Click here to view a wee demonstration from some of the Lakes Leisure admin staff and a bit of a giggle…

FREE TALK: SKIING THE LONG WHITE CLOUD
Thursday 24 November, Queenstown Events Centre, 7.00pm
In the winter of 2011, Erik Bradshaw skiied the length of the Southern Alps, from Nelson Lakes in the north to Key Summit in the South ten weeks later. In doing so he became the first person to complete a solo winter ski traverse of the Southern Alps. Come listen to Erik talk about the trials and tribulations of his solo journey; the physical and mental requirements of an arduous trip of this kind; and the gear required to make the trip a success. It’s sure to be both fascinating and inspiring evening! Entry is a gold coin donation. The Sports Bar will be open before the show and at intermission. For further details, click here.

LONDON CALLING – THE MUSICAL
November 24 & 25, Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall, 8.00pm
The multi-media song and stage show is coming to Wanaka and returning to Arrowtown. “London Calling” revisits the music of The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Bowie, T-Rex, Zombies, Rod Stewart, Elton John, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, The Clash and more; all produced during the British Invasion years of 1964-1984. Show starts at 8pm. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets $35 from Wanaka Fine Wines or Arrowtown Museum. For further details, click here.

BONE CLINIC, Thursday 24 November
Don’t forget the Bone Density Clinic is coming to Alpine Health & Fitness on Thursday 24 November. Early detection, from 25 years, is the key to prevention of suffering later from osteoporosis and fractures. It is not just older women that develop thin bones. If you think you might be short on calcium come and get a quick & painless scan of your heel done & make sure you’re A-OK. The consultation and scan costs just $55, takes about 20 minutes and appointments can be made by calling 03 450 9117.

POSSIBLE WATER SHORTAGE, Thurs 24 November, 9.30am-10.30am
Just a wee warning that there’s a small chance we may be without water at Queenstown Events Centre from 9.30am-10.30am on Thursday 24 November. We are having adjustments made to the sprinkler system and they need to turn the water off to do these. We do have reserve tanks so it’s unlikely to be a problem, but it depends how busy the facility is that day. Apologies for any inconvenience & thanks for your understanding!

REMARKABLES PARK CHRISTMAS FUN DAY, Sunday 26 November
Christmas Paddles To celebrate the start of the Christmas season Remarkables Park Town Centre is putting on an action-packed afternoon of free family activities and entertainment this Sunday from 11am to 3pm. Santa himself will available for photos and Christmas wishes and Paddles the Polar Bear, Alpine Aqualand’s mascot, is very excited to be keeping him company! There will be face painting, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, hula hooping, story time sessions and loads of spot prizes throughout the day. There will also be live entertainment including a fun, enchanting, free magic show at 1pm. Queenstown’s much-loved Santa’s Christmas Tree Grotto will be at Smiths City from Thursday December 1 until Christmas Eve. Come on down and join the fun...

ARROWTOWN MEMORIAL POOL PARTY, Sunday 4 December
Arrowtown Memorial Pool will be opening for the summer on Sunday 4 December. We’re having a family BBQ and fun day that day starting at 2pm to celebrate the opening – we’ll provide the BBQ and the pool toys, you provide the family and have fun! Come on down! Summer pool hours for the 33m outdoor pool will be 11am-1pm lane swimming and 1pm-6pm free time every day until the end of February. Entry is just $3 for adults, $1.50 for school students and under 5s are free! For further details on Arrowtown Pool, click here.

QEC ENTRANCE ROAD UPGRADE – 5-10 December
The entrance road to the Queenstown Events Centre, Joe O’Connell Drive, will be resealed during the first week of December and will take 3-4 days depending on the weather. Traffic management will be in place to minimise the disruption to QEC visitors. With the movement of children between playing fields and the large volume of traffic along the entrance road, the QLDC has identified that this is a high risk area to pedestrians. As a result, two speed humps will be installed at the same time as the road is resealed. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

CHRISTMAS POPS – NZSO’S MAINLAND TOUR
Lake Wanaka Centre, Tuesday 6 December, 7.30pm
Join a select group of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra musicians, including popular mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn, conductor Alexander Briger, for an evening full of beautiful music and carol singing for the whole family.With well-loved orchestral pieces including Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and the final movement of Haydn’s bustling London Symphony; plus carols Away in a Manger, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angels, and The First Noel, this is the perfect way to capture the happy spirit of the festive season. Tickets $45 Adults, $12.50 Children; available from Wanaka Fine Wines (cash) or 0800 479 674 (credit card). For further details, click here.

SHOTOVER JET CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
Queenstown Events Centre, Sunday 11 December, 4.00pm
Come be a part of the magic & music of Christmas with the 2011 Shotover Jet Christmas Spectacular! Join friends, family and a cast of over 150 local performers as we celebrate the festive season as only Queenstown knows how. With special appearances by the cast of London Calling, Songstars winner Katie McNeil and of course, Santa Claus it’s bound to be a sellout so book now! Doors Open 3.30pm, Show Starts 4.00pm Sharp. Adults $15, 3-14 year olds $5, Infants free. For further details, click here.

CALLING ALL ASPIRING YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHERS!
The QLDC has just launched a photo competition open to all kids school aged and below. The theme is “Our People, Our Place” as they are looking for photographs which celebrate the people and the places that our children love in this district. The single best illustration that represents what’s great about where we live, as chosen by Mayor van Uden, will win a brand new digital camera. The top 20-30 shots will be used to illustrate the Council’s 10-Year-Plan, and will go on display at Queenstown and Wanaka during the 10-Year-Plan consultation period in April. Closes Friday 21 December 2011. For further details, click here.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
We’ve got options for everyone at Lakes Leisure this Christmas. Would your loved ones like a gift voucher for a swim or gym membership, some swim lessons or a new bikini? What about holding your Christmas party at the freshly revamped Sports Bar upstairs at Queenstown Events Centre? Kick the party off with some team action on the fields, courts, climbing wall or the pool then head upstairs to the Sports Bar where there’s an outdoor BBQ, full bar & commercial kitchen facilities (or let us handle the catering for you), amazing views, big screen TVs, a kid friendly environment and heaps of parking! Mention this At Your Leisure newsletter and receive a free hour’s worth of court or field time with every Sports Bar booking. For further details or to make a booking, contact Sophie.Gibbs@lakesleisure.co.nz or 03 450 9122.

WATERPOLO – NOW ON SUNDAY NIGHTS, 6.30pm-8.30pm
Queenstown Water Polo Club is running water polo at Alpine Aqualand every Sunday from 6.30-8.00pm up until Christmas! Entry cost is just standard pool entry ($3 for school students, $4.50 Seniors, $8 Adults) and all gear is provided by QWPC and Alpine Aqualand. Come along & give it a go – beginners to advanced players are more than welcome. For details please call Nigel Kerr on 0272 368 553.

SPARTAN GROUP FITNESS CROSS TRAINING
Now that the weather’s warming up we’ve added a new outdoor option to our Group Fitness timetable on Wednesdays at 6pm. Based upon our Spartan Cross Training BootCamp, this class will be run by personal trainer Stephen Orr and is all about fitness & strength training. It’s suitable for all fitness levels - just something a bit different and in the great outdoors too. Meet at the gym reception just before 6pm, before heading outside to flip some tyres and throw some strength bags around. Free for gym members & included with a $16 gym day pass. To view the group fitness timetable, click here.

ALPINE AQUALAND ENTRY
Alpine Aqualand has always been free for spectators, but we have been encountering a few problems lately with “spectators” who swim! It’s a rate payer funded community facility so we need to make sure everyone is getting a fair deal hence we will be keeping a closer eye on our “spectators” for a while. Please make sure if you intend to swim that you let reception know so they can charge you accordingly. Thanks for your understanding. For details on Alpine Aqualand entry fees, click here.

GROUP FITNESS CLASS CANCELLATIONS
The following classes are going to be cancelled in the coming weeks:
Leisurelys Tai Chi – cancelled Tuesday 22 November @ 11.00am.
Arrowtown Zumba –Tuesday 22 November @ 6.30pm during London Calling, back to Thursdays @ 6.30pm from Thursday 1 December.
Aqualand Aqua Fit – cancelled Monday 28 November @ 7.15am due to Tanya being away, but aqua-equipment will still be available.

VENUE CLOSURES – 7-11 December
Queenstown Events Centre, Alpine Aqualand & Health & Fitness: Fri 2 Dec: The entire venue will be closed from 2pm due to team training.
Queenstown Events Centre: Thu 7 – Sun 11 Dec: Main Auditorium & Climbing Wall are being used for Shotover Jet Remarkable Christmas Show.
Queenstown Events Centre: Sun 11 Dec: The Auditorium Change Rooms will also be closed due to the Shotover Jet Remarkable Christmas Show.
Alpine Aqualand: Tue 20 Dec, 1-3pm: All pools closed to the public for two hours due to the Aqualand Swim School End of Year Pool Party.

BUSY PERIODS AT THE POOL
Alpine Aqualand – Sunday 27 November, 5.30pm-8.30pm: The lap pool will no longer be available between now and Christmas due to the Queenstown Water Polo Club pool booking. Generally this will be from 6.30pm-8.30pm, with Sunday 27 November being the exception rather than the rule.

Finally, please note that daily reminders of any class changes will also be posted on our Facebook page. If you have any questions, please email us.

Cheers,

The Lakes Leisure Team