Cardrona Valley could host Rhythm & Vines

The South Island leg of Rhythm & Vines could be heading to Cardrona Valley.

Cardrona Valley could be the new site for the South Island's annual Rhythm and Alps two-day music festival, catering for up to 10,000 people.

Rhythm and Alps Ltd has applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council to hold its Rhythm and Alps music festival on land largely contained within Rob Rosa Station, in the Cardrona Valley.

The music festival evolved out of the highly successful three-day Rhythm and Vines event which has been operating in Gisborne for 10 years.

The Rhythm and Alps event has taken place at Terrace Downs in Methven, Canterbury, for the past three years.

If Rhythm and Alps was to relocate further south, it would occur once a year in the Cardrona Valley, on the set dates of December 30 and 31, and part of January 1.

The applicant is seeking a 15-year resource consent term for the festival, which would cater for up to 10,000 patrons.

However, in reality, it would take "a number of years before this figure is reached", the application from Queenstown's Southern Planning Group said.

The music festival would be held mostly on ground used for pastoral farming purposes.

It would feature a designated camping area, with anticipated camper numbers around 3000.

Rhythm and Alps and Rhythm and Vines festival director Chris Gillies declined to comment on the reasons for relocating the South Island festival to the Cardrona Valley until the shift was confirmed.