Latest Updates

Highlands makes its debut at TRENZ

Highlands Motorsport Park will be showcased for the first time at New Zealand’s biggest annual international tourism event, TRENZ.

Two years since its official opening in April 2013, the world-class Highlands complex, with its unique mix of adrenaline-pumping and family-friendly activities, is proving an increasingly popular tourist attraction for national and international visitors to the Southern Lakes and Central Otago regions.

Josie Spillane, who was recently appointed to a newly-created role as Highlands’ chief operating officer, says the time is now right to share the exciting entertainment and adventure options on offer at Highlands with an even wider audience.

“TRENZ, running 17-20 May in Rotorua, offers an incredible opportunity to showcase Highlands Motorsport Park to a truly global audience,” says Ms Spillane.

“Over the past two years we have established ourselves as a premier tourist destination, attracting many visitors to Queenstown and Wanaka to make the short journey to Cromwell. In one spectacular location, Highlands offers a range of affordable, family-friendly and/or adrenaline-pumping activities. We do have a spectacular motor racing circuit, but by no means is that all people can experience at Highlands. We like to say that a passion for motorsport is not a requirement, but a sense of adventure is.”

Ms Spillane says the first two years of operation demonstrate the facility’s tourism appeal with 80 per cent of revenue generated by the tourism-oriented activities and 20 per cent from motorsport events also hosted on the park’s race track.

Complementing Central Otago’s reputation as one of the world’s finest wine regions, The Nose café and restaurant at Highlands offers tastings of local wines and premium seasonal fare.

“The Nose wine experience, with its informative ‘tour’ of the local region’s wines all in the comfort of our tasting room, grows in popularity all the time and the restaurant is proving a sought-after lunch stop for tours into Queenstown. Visitor feedback indicates people enjoy our local cuisine in an authentic small town setting, as well as the opportunity to experience the unique Central Otago wines.”

Ms Spillane adds: “Here at Highlands, we’re always coming up with new activities and new ways people can enjoy this very special facility.

“We’re playing to our strengths and developing new and innovative products with an exciting adrenaline-inducing feeling and/or family-friendly orientation that really can’t be experienced anywhere else. The sum of all of our parts makes us proudly unique!

“At TRENZ, we will be proud to showcase Highlands Motorsport Park and talk with global travel buyers about the excellent value for money entertainment and activities their customers can enjoy at Highlands. We span the generations, with options for younger children, teenagers, motoring and race enthusiasts and older folk with a sense of adventure and/or a love of fine automobiles.

“For groups, Highlands is a particularly good option with many of our activities being ideally suited to groups of up to 20 at a time. This means larger groups can be entertained by alternating between one of several activities. You really can enjoy everything from a 15 minute blast on the go kart track to a whole day of entertainment trying out all our fantastic products.”

Among the most popular activities at Highlands are:

• The ‘famous’ Highlands Taxi – experienced drivers host up to four people in one of the two Porsche Cayenne Turbo ‘taxis’. The first lap showcases the whole facility, the quirks of the track, the forest, the control tower. The second lap is a flying lap, letting visitors experience the circuit at a speed that they’re comfortable with – flat out or a little more sedately.
• FASTLaps – the visitor is kitted out in a race suit, helmet and boots, strapped into the cockpit of an authentic, stripped-out Porsche GT3 racer, and a trained race driver pilots them around the 4.1 kilometre Highlands circuit for a short series of fast laps.
• Lamborghini Fast Dash – a ‘bucket list’ activity for many, hot laps with a race driver in the Highlands Lamborghini capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds.
  YOURLaps – the visitor pilots a Suzuki Swift Sport and enjoys three laps under instruction on a purpose-built race circuit, then three laps at the wheel.
• Highlands Go Karts – one of the most popular motorsport venues in New Zealand, the Highlands go kart track is busy every day from when the park opens at 10am. Often booked by groups, the go karts offer a fun, safe way to enjoy some motorsport action in top quality, fast German-built go karts. They come as single and two-seater options to suit most ages.

The latest activities on offer include:

• Radical U-Drive – the ultimate in self-drive, on-track experiences with the Radical SR3 sports car which draws inspiration from the famed Le Mans endurance race cars. Participants take to the Highlands GT circuit to enjoy piloting this impressive vehicle for their own hot laps.
• The Jurassic Forest Safari Tour is a fun and active experience for the whole family where visitors hop on the Highlands bus at the National Motorsport Museum and head down to the Highlands forest to an awesome adventure playground and the chance to meet exciting forest creatures, large and small.
• The Off-Road Safari is a skill-based adventure for those seeking an activity that isn’t necessarily all about speed. The CF Moto two-seater off-road buggies are built for adventure and safety, and participants negotiate bridges, rough terrain, holes and obstacles, before enjoying a short stop at the Jurassic Safari park.

“TRENZ is an iconic tourism event which we are very much looking forward to attending as a growing attraction from one of the most popular regions in New Zealand,” Ms Spillane says.