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History 1850's this area was discovered, by the sheep thief James Mackenzie. They say he used this area as an escape trail. 1860s farmers moved into the area but struggled severely with difficult weather, poor soils, isolation and rabbits. 1900s Alpine recreationalists and tourists began arriving to enjoy the splendid sights and challenge the mountains offered. Rudolf Wrigley built the first accommodation 1920s Rudolf's son, Harry, followed on, building a grand hotel and new cars to take bring travellers from the nearest railway. !950s With hotel upgrades and planes being common, Harry (now an ex WW2 pilot) invented the ski plane to land in snow on the nearby Tasman Glacier. More tourists arrived. Business boomed branched out to a national flying and transport company. The hermitage hotel was replaced after a fire by a world class facility. 1960s The new HEP scheme raised the nearby glacier lake requiring the reconstruction of the highway. Visitor numbers grew and are still growing along with the facilities.
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