Queenstown and Cromwell Highlands Motorsport Park tour

[EJK]

My journey began in the morning of Tuesday of 7th. I had an impulse to have a Fergburger for lunch. Well, what an excuse to go on an escape! Regardless, I've always wanted to travel south before the big winter hits. My original plan was to go for just one night's stay while taking a look at the brand new Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell. It was good to be back on the road and on a long journey. This reminded me of when I used to tour half the North Island on my old Suzuki FXR150. Different bike this time, but same spirit.

The weather was fantastic and the scenery was simply stunning. And the beautiful twists and turns were simply cherry on top.

By the time I reached Omarama, I noticed that my tyres needed replacing.... SOON! Before my departure I thought some rubber left would be fine but these country roads were absolutely grinding through the rear tyre. The roads are like coarse sand paper. "This ain't good" I thought. So I called my friend in Auckland Todd ("Hello" back to you DMNTD) and got me a set of tyres shipped to Qmotors. Now all I had to do was wait till those tyres arrive.

Feeling better now that I got the tyre problem ready to be solved, I continued my way with some sence of peace of mind.

I arrived in Queenstown just before sundown. The canyon ride through the valley (in between Queenstown and Cromwell) was simply stunning. At this time of the year there were few tourists on the road so some ways it felt like my own private race track. 100% fun but still keeping it under 100kph speed limit.

After checking in at a backpackers, I slept hoping the tyres to arrive soon.


1. Lake Pukaki. Stunning view and weather. Blue, blue everywhere.
2. Countryside outside of Fairlie
3. Over the Lindis Pass. With snow covering the hills it felt like I was in a different country.
4. Scenery just outside of Arrowtown.

[EJK]

I woke up thinking (or hoping) the tyres would last me for a few more kilometers. After breakfast I headed out back to Cromwell to visit the brand new Highlands Motorsport Park museum. As I entered the car park I couldn't help but to notice the design and the "newness" of the facility. Everything was new. Buildings were new, roads were new, and even some part of driveway weren’t completely sealed. Everything was tidy and clean just like fresh Lego out of the box. Out by the car park there was the Gasoline Alley for track meetings. It looked like a place you can find at Leipzig or Nurburgring. By the first garage, there were a couple of Highlands Porsche GT3 cup cars and a Suzuki Swift being prepared for track testing.

Out by the museum there was also a “200kph taxi” Porsche Cayenne Turbo ready to take some passengers.

Overlooking the fence I could see the entire layout of the track. With the beautiful surroundings of mountain range similar to Fuji Speedway, fresh cut green grass, track overpass/ tunnel and a small pond with a fountain in the middle, it is absolutely wondrous. It’s not a track. It’s an art.I could not help but to wonder if they'd let me have a go on the track on my bike if I'd asked them politely....

Next to the race track, there was also a go-kart track, mini golf, pedal cars track, speedway, and even a skid pan for some sideway action! Inside the museum facility there was a cafe, a lookout/ view point over the track and merchandise shop.

As I entered the museum, instantly my eyes were fixed on the Orange McLaren MP4 12C GT3. The one and only in southern hemisphere, personally owned by Tony Quinn of VIP Pet Foods and the owner of Highlands Motorsport Park. The rumor is that back in 2012 Quinn came over from Australia to New Zealand with the idea of purchasing Hampton Downs. Instead, he bought the entire Highlands Motorsport park project after some "convincing" from the people down south. Just how much money does he have?

The museum had about 30 cars and 4 bikes. The collection also included a rare Austin Healey 100S, Ferrari 288 GTO (predecessor to the super F40), Quinn's Nissan GTR, Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3 and more. There are still rooms for more development and more cars so I'm definitely coming back in later times. The cost to museum entry is $20 for a single adult. $8 for a child between 5 – 15. However if you are interested, you can also take 3 fast laps taxi ride on a Porsche GT3 cup car with $295. If you want to relax with your kids, Mini golf is available too. Highlands Motorsport Park truly has something for everybody. This is a must place to visit for any motorsport enthusiast.

Some ways it reminded me of a quote John Hammond would say from Jurassic Park... "We spared no expense."


1. Imagine having a track day here.
2. A "200 kph taxi" Cayenne Turbo.
3. A couple of GT3 cup cars in prep.
4. Brand spankin new track. Just PLEASE let me have a go on my bike!
5. The one and only McLaren MP4 12C GT3 in southern hemisphere.
6. Museum view from the top.

[cfxjason]

thanks for the post i didnt even no it was there, we are going for a ride there this weekend mite have to call in...... CHEERS

[blackdog]

Nice write up EJC. Best read this morning.

[onearmedbandit]

Awesome write up mate. I look forward to reading more.

[p.dath]

Awesome write up mate. I look forward to reading more.

+1 to that.

[FJRider]

i didnt even no it was there

A year ago ... it wasn't ...

[merv]

Crikey that is impressive and I drove past there Saturday last week thinking when I saw the entrance "oh there won't be much there yet and maybe I'll drop in some other time".

[Maha]

You'll be right in your element there eh EJ?...I am thinking your grin was deafening?
I saw a TV article on this/Quinn a few weeks ago.

[EJK]

You'll be right in your element there eh EJ?...I am thinking your grin was deafening
I saw a TV article on this/Quinn a few weeks ago.

The track was most impressive. . Now if only I was a multi millionaire...

A year ago ... it wasn't ...

A month ago it wasn't.

[FJRider]

The track was most impressive. . Now if only I was a multi millionaire...

A month ago it wasn't.

I've been watching the build from the day they started moving dirt ... I go past it to and from work in Cromwell.

Four rides to do from Queenstown.

1: The Crown range road.
2: The road up to Coronet peak skifield.
3: The road to Glenorchy.
4: The Devils Staircase to Kingston.

And go home over the Haast/Arthurs pass.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Nice work mate. Cheers for the read and pics!

[gijoe1313]

Good stuff EJ! Great to see you making up for lost time away from riding!

[EJK]

Day 3. Today was a relatively relaxing day. Still stuck in Queenstown but finally the tyres arrived. I went up to the Crown range and back down before changing my tyres. The road was beautiful but didn't had much fun due to grit in the middle of corners and some drivers forgetting which part was their lane. Seriously...?

Thanks to people at Queenstown Motorcycles (Jenny and Tim!) my bike was fitted with a set of brand new Dunlops shipped from Cycletreads. My first tyre preference was Bridgestone S20s but Cycletreads did not had them in stock at the time. So I had to go for something close. Dunlop Sportsmart was one of my options along with Metzelers M3, Z6 and Z8. I chose the Dunlop hypersport out of the bunch. The difference with Sportsmart was instantly felt after existing the workshop driveway. I guess I'd been riding on pretty bald tyres. These new tyres made the bike feel like it's riding on razor blades. Sensitive, responsive and very very sharp. I'll find out how they'll perform tomorrow.

So far so good, I'm ready to go home. Tonight it's raining pretty heavily however. I hope the road don't freeze overnight.

1. Overlooking from the Crown Range road.
2. The famous hairpins of Crown Range road.
3. Final ray of sunshine before rainfall.
4. At Queenstown Motorcycles for new shoes.

[Maha]

No need to say anything but I will anyway, take it easy on those new tyres ok?