Geodesic domes atop Cecil Peak accessed by helicopter are the latest proposed luxury accommodation for Queenstown.
A resource consent application from Dome Queenstown Ltd was lodged with the Queenstown Lakes District Council and is on hold at the applicant's request.
The application said the five domes would be in a shallow gully on the Eastern Spur, near the top of Cecil Peak.
The application says the gully, in Cecil Peak Station, would help protect the domes from ''the full force of the weather'', is close to Queenstown so flying times would be short, is ''considered to be safe from avalanches in expected winter snow loadings'' and would reduce the domes' visibility from nearby areas.
Helicopter flights would be restricted to Civil Aviation-permitted daytime flight hours - the beginning of morning civil twilight until the end of evening civil twilight - and it is proposed there would be a maximum of 12 trips a day.
Three of the domes are proposed to be for paying guests, two set up for two adults, while the third would be for four adults.
''These domes will each have a building footprint of 28.3sq m and will each measure 6m in diameter, including decking.
The maximum height is 3.7m. These guest domes have been located to be well separated from one another and are within natural hollows or beside natural mounds to reduce their visibility from outside the site.''
A larger dome would contain a kitchen and dining area and would sit in the largest natural hollow. The smallest dome would be for guide accommodation.
A triangular utility building for a bathroom, utility room and storage area is proposed for guests and staff.
The finer details of the domes, which are proposed to be dark grey, include having small circular windows, big bay windows, a fire port, solar fan and roll-up ventilation flaps.
The domes would sit on wooden decking on posts concreted into the ground.
A maximum of 30 people would be on the site, including staff and helicopter crew. The maximum number of overnight guests would be 11, including up to three staff.
