Gold Rush Luge
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| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The coaster while at Coronet Peak as Cresta Run | |||||||||||||
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| Manufacturer | Wiegand | ||||||||||||
| Product | Sommerrodelbahn | ||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Bobsled - Hybrid | ||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Elevation change | 30 metres | ||||||||||||
| Length | 300 metres | ||||||||||||
Gold Rush Luge is a bobsled hybrid alpine coaster located at Maniototo Adventure Park in Naseby, Otago, New Zealand manufactured by Wiegand.[1][2] It orginally operated at Coronet Peak as Cresta Run before being dismantled in 1987.[3]
History
In 1982, Coronet Peak, a ski field in Queenstown, New Zealand, built a 600 metre long bobsled alpine coaster named Cresta Run, most likely named after the actual ice track in Switzerland with the same name.[2]
The coaster was closed in 1987 and was dismantled by nearby resident Tonnie Spijkerbosch, along with his wife Erna, and cousins David and Jennie Proctor, who put it in storage.[3][4][5]
Around 2015, after sitting abandoned for almost three decades, the Spijkerboschs and Proctors donated the coaster to the town of Naseby, New Zealand, to construct it next to an existing winter luge.[4][5][6]
$80,000 was raised for the coaster project, and construction started in 2020.[6][7] The existing track sections would be used to build a different 300 metre long layout, about half of the Cresta Run's length.[1][7]
Gold Rush Luge opened on 5 August 2023.[4]
Design
At Coronet Peak, the coaster featured a much longer, ground hugging layout, with 7 large turns. It was accessed by the field's main chairlift, specifically a station halfway up, which closed shortly after the coaster's removal.[8]
Unlike most bobsled alpine coasters, including Cresta Run, Gold Rush Luge is elevated above the ground. It is supported by 200 wooden posts.[9]
At Maniototo Adventure Park, riders walk to the top of the track, and the cars are hauled up by a ATV pulling a trailer.[10]
Trains
Single cars. Riders are arranged inline in 2 rows, for a total of 2 riders per car.
20 of Gold Rush Luge's cars are from an unnamed coaster in Melbourne, Australia.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Gold Rush Luge". Maniototo Adventure Park. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Summer Toboggan Run - References". Wiegand. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sharp, Seven (August 10, 2023). "A Queenstown family has revived a legendary thrill-seeking ride from the 1980s". 1News. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomson, Shannon (August 7, 2023). "'Rite of passage' track back in action". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jones, Pam (July 7, 2017). "Givealittle appeal for luge". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tohill, Mary-Jo (August 12, 2021). "Donors key to new summer luge". The News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jones, Pam (November 16, 2019). "Luge build in offing". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ "The first rope tow opened at Coronet Peak in 1947 heralding the dawn of commercial skiing in NZ, and as demand grew a second rope tow was installed and the base facilities were improved". Facebook - Coronet Peak. February 9, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ "An amazing weekend for the Summer Luge". Facebook - Gold Rush Luge. September 13, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ↑ Shrimpton, Barry (January 18, 2024). "Naseby Summer Luge ( NZ) "The Gold Rush Luge" (0:35)". YouTube - Barry Shrimpton. Retrieved June 22, 2025.