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\nCardrona’s main slopes opened on 14 June.
\nPhoto: RNZ\/Katie Todd\n<\/p>\n
An Otago businessman who founded the country’s biggest ski area is being remembered as someone who shaped his local community over many decades.<\/p>\n
W\u0101naka farmer and entrepreneur John Allandale Lee died peacefully on Sunday surrounded by family,<\/p>\n
He was seen as a key figurehead in the economic takeoff of the Cardrona Valley<\/p>\n
Lee’s family confirmed the 89-year-old’s passing in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A second-generation Waiorau farmer, Lee grew up in the tough alpine clime of the Cardrona Valley’s Pisa Range.<\/p>\n
“In the late 1960s, the population of Cardrona was in decline, and as things were looking bleak, John got creative – all with the goal of bringing life back to the valley.”<\/p>\n
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\nJohn and Mary Lee, outside the Cardrona Hotel, which they owned in the 1970s. Photograph: Otago Daily Times
\nPhoto:\n<\/p>\n
Lee and his wife, Mary bought the historic Cardrona Hotel in 1970 and Mt Cardrona Station a year later.<\/p>\n
The couple would spend the following years developing a ski area at Cardrona.<\/p>\n
Cardrona Alpine Resort was opened to the public in 1980 and now stands as New Zealand’s biggest ski area.<\/p>\n
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Photo: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
The Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds came to life during the development of the Snow Farm in 1984.<\/p>\n
The Lees then supported their youngest son Sam in the development of freestyle skiing and snowboarding mecca, Snow Park, in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n
Lee was said to be instrumental in saving the Cardrona Hotel from ruin after a local recluse purchased the building during the 1960s, and left it to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
“From helping to re-establish the Cardrona Valley as a destination in its own right,, to the bustling W\u0101naka ski industry, to the cheeky Cardrona Bra Fence – John’s legacy is extensive. Many in the Cardrona and W\u0101naka communities can trace their careers, homes and livelihoods back to John’s passion to bring a vibrant life to this area,” the Lee family said.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Lee was made companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and tourism.<\/p>\n
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Photo: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
He was survived by wife Mary, children Rachael, Joanna and Sam, and grandchildren Louis, Regan, Olivia, Anton, Hana, Matthew, Archie and Heidi.<\/p>\n
Lee was to be farewelled at a private ceremony on Wednesday.<\/p>\n