The Job Tour: Queenstown

At Skippers Canyon.

We arrived in Queenstown on Sunday afternoon and officially began our search for the ideal job. We hit the central city and soon realised the CBD was made up of many different tourism ventures, set amongst high end retail stores and restaurants.

Unsurprisingly tourism accounts for 90 per cent of Queenstown's economy, but for all these businesses, and after talking to a bunch of locals something struck us - where are all the Kiwi employees?

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After a few hours of searching we met Graham, a 27 year old gondola supervisor. After working for a few years in Rotorua, he had made the move to Queenstown to further his career in tourism, and said his job has taken him to various countries, providing him with life experience while earning money.

In many ways it seems that the core structure of Queenstown's eco-tourism economy is set in stone and any new tourism ventures, be they conservative or flashy, are very much a gamble.

And the same goes for the majority of employees, who come across as temporary visitors rather than permanent fixtures. Not all, but many seem to be simply passing through or looking to have a good time.

On Monday morning, we had a coffee with the Mayor of Queenstown Clive Geddis who told us that the local economy is much more than just the ski season. Did you know Queenstown makes most of its money in the summer?

He also told us that locals are unique in that they usually have more than one job, but, they make more money here than anywhere else in the country.

But the cost of living in Queenstown is through the roof, especially for someone in an entry-level position. According to Peter, a trusty tour guide who also runs a local hotel, everything from food to petrol is more expensive in Queenstown.

He says at times, petrol can get up to 13c a litre more here than in Dunedin. What a rip off! But I guess tourists are none the wiser.....

Peter took us on our next job-seeking adventure, goldmining, a job most common in the 1860's. One of the main minefields is in Skippers Canyon located near Coronet Peak.

After a bumpy (and at times incredibly scary) ride down using the old mining road, we eventually arrived at the river.

We went jet boating where we met another kiwi employee-Ashley who takes 3 or 4 jet boating trips up and down the river a day.

While we were in the canyon we went to visit a local named Winky who lives in one of the few houses in the mountain ranges. What sets her apart is that her home uses no electricity, so her and her family rely on the same technology that miners did almost 150 years ago.

Winky is the fifth generation of her family to live within the canyon- her ancestors were all gold miners. But it would seem that the family is now mining for a different type of gold- the tourism dollar; her family now run a jet boating company in the river.

While we were there she showed us some of the tricks of the trade and how to pan for gold. But, we don't want to give the game away. You'll have to watch our video later today to see if you're staring into the faces of unlucky miners or two new millionaires.