Author(s): Sally Rae

New Zealand Non Fiction

One man's dream to breathe life into a sleepy Central Otago valley has brought high-adrenaline adventure to millions in a spectacularly beautiful part of New Zealand. Heavily illustrated with historic and scenic images, this book tells the story of John Lee - high-country farmer, family man and developer, recently honoured with a CNZM (Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for his services to business and tourism. From a traditional farming background, John persevered in the face of many layers of bureaucracy to create local projects to keep his beloved Cardrona Valley alive and prospering. He bought the well-known Cardrona Hotel when it was almost derelict to preserve it until a suitable purchaser could be found. He developed the Cardrona Ski Field, the Snow Farm cross-country ski area and the only cold product testing ground for motor vehicles in the southern hemisphere. With his son, Sam, he also developed the world's first dedicated snow freestyle resort. His belief in the importance of community and environment have been a constant in all his activities, which now help underpin the local economies of Queenstown and Wanaka, and he has had many adventure