Air New Zealand's domestic cargo network. Mount Cook Freightlines was later purchased by F.W. McDowall Ltd. Mount Cook Line Skifields In 1921 Rodolph Wigley leased The Hermitage hotel from the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts and began expanding it, installing electricity and telegraph, catering for skaters and skiers and employing mountain guides. He introduced and developed skiing, mountain climbing and winter holidays. The company was the first to offer package holidays to tourists. In August 1923 Wigley and two guides became the first to climb Mt Cook in winter. The first skifield in New Zealand was developed on Ball Glacier in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park; the company opened another at Ohau. Mount Cook Line Skifields developed and operated the Queenstown ski areas of Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, now owned by NZSki Ltd. Mount Cook Ski Planes The company developed ski plane conversions of Auster aircraft in its own workshops at Fairlie, in South Canterbury. Now independently owned, Mount Cook Ski Planes operates Cessna 185s and Pilatus Porters, and is the only company to land scenic flights on the Tasman Glacier to this day. Other holdings The Mount Cook company at various times owned or established many other tourism and transport businesses in New Zealand: Parts of Fiordland Travel, now known as Real Journeys Mutual Rental Cars, which became the New Zealand operation of Avis Rent a Car System Ball Hut, a ski and tramping hut in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park The Hermitage hotel at Mount Cook Village Chateau Tongariro hotel in Tongariro National Park Eichardt's Hotel, in Queenstown References Travel and holiday companies of New Zealand 1912 establishments in New Zealand 2013 disestablishments in New Zealand