New tourist venture is up in the air

Alex Schmid found winning over investors to his intriguing new concept was not easy. Photo / File

Rotorua's Redwood Forest was the natural first call when German entrepreneur Alex Schmid and his wife Andrea visited New Zealand as tourists in the summer of 2008/09.

Treewalks parks in Germany were becoming very popular, and the previous year Mr Schmid had been able to build Robins Wood Kletterwald, one of the first in Germany, in an attractive location near Munich.

"When we saw the Rotorua Redwoods, I said to my wife, 'it's unbelievable there is nothing up in the trees to let people enjoy these amazing forests'. That was the birth of the idea, to have a nice activity up in the trees."

Tomorrow his inspiration will come to fruition with the blessing of the Redwoods Treewalk. A formal opening date is expected to be announced early next year.

It has been a long and challenging journey for Mr Schmid. Born in Bavaria, in the south of Germany, he trained as a mechanical engineer then became a software developer.

After a decade in the software industry, he grew tired of long days at the computer, too much Coke and pizza, and not enough physical activity.

"I decided I wanted to do something else that was a little bit more outdoors," he said.

He moved into the adventure business, becoming a high ropes course trainer, which involves using complex wire rope, friction devices, harnesses and other systems on team-building exercises.

That in turn proved to be ideal background experience when the opportunity came along to set up Robins Wood Kletterwald.

After returning to Germany, he continued to run his treewalk venture there, while the couple began to explore the possibility of setting up a similar venture in Rotorua and relocating to New Zealand.

He and his wife set up Redwoods Outdoor Activities NZ in 2012, and Mr Schmid emphasised that his wife had been a joint partner in pulling the project together.

The following year the venture was granted a lease approved by iwi and the Rotorua Lakes Council, who were working in partnership to manage commercial recreational opportunities in the forest.

But winning over investors to the intriguing new concept was not easy.

"The most difficult thing was to find the right networks of people to get the best support," he said. "We knocked on a huge number of doors to present the project and try and satisfy potential investors."

The New Zealand German Business Association was helpful at crucial junctures and provided the initial contact with the council. The association was also where Mr Schmid met and became friends with another German businessman active in Rotorua, Heiko Kaiser, managing director of Alpeco, an environmentally friendly pest control company.

"Heiko really helped us get into the right networks and find the investors we needed," said Mr Schmid.

One of those key contacts was Skyline general manager Bruce Thomasen and his wife Kellie, who became personal investors in the project. He had seen the original report on the proposal and thought it a great idea, then a couple of years later met Mr Schmid through Mr Kaiser.

"I looked at the project again," he said. "I was confident in the iconic status of the Redwoods. The unique method of the installation and the whole sustainable element of the walk were quite inspiring. I knew Alex's background, and linking that with the status of the forest just gave us the confidence to make the investment."

Mr Schmid said it had been enormously helpful getting support from key members of the local business community.

"It's a challenge to be in a foreign country and say to people you have an opportunity that could be a really big business, and get them to trust and have confidence in you," he said.