"Rambo wannabes" will be delighted to hear Martinborough is set to have its own paintball course.
On Tuesday, Craig and Rachael Colton were granted resource consent for the venture by South Wairarapa District Council.
The course will be built on the couple's property about 6km outside Martinborough on White Rock Road.
The idea
for the course germinated over beers in the pub and "lots of internet research" when Mr Colton noticed Martinborough had become a destination for "stag and hen do's and corporate stuff", he said.
"When people are trying to wind down that bit of Rambo wannabe comes out in a lot of us," he said.
Paintball is a sport in which participants eliminate each other from play by firing non-toxic spherical gelatin capsules at opponents.
The complex will have a light-food refreshment facility and Mr Colton plans to start sculpting the course as soon as possible.
"Hopefully we'll have a digger in next week," he said.
The course will lie on 10ha of "rolling kanuka and manuka gullies" and will include bunkers of sandbags.
Mr Colton also plans to purchase "three old, ex-army Land Rovers to try and make it more realistic", he said.
Ten million Americans are estimated to play the sport and Mr Colton is keen to capitalise on the sport's burgeoning popularity.
"We're trying to get in on that bandwagon," he said.
Mr Colton said paintball guns and equipment will be imported from the United States.
