Billionaire files plans to build luxury lodge

PHOTO: Peter Thiel. GETTY

Billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel has filed plans to build a large complex on his sprawling 193-hectare lifestyle block just outside Wānaka.

Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, as well as an early investor in Facebook’s now multi-billion-dollar social media empire, purchased the estate in April 2015 for a reported $13.5 million through his Auckland-headquartered company, Second Star Limited, co-owned with husband Matt Danzeisen.

A resource consent application, lodged with the Queenstown Lakes District Council, show plans for a series of curved buildings – including a larger luxury lodge and private residential home – built into the rural landscape at Damper Bay, situated near the shoreline of Lake Wānaka. Designed by Tokyo Olympic Stadium architect Kengo Kuma and Associates, the documents also show plans for a separate meditation pod, library, theatre lounge and spa rooms, with the infrastructure blending seamlessly into the picturesque countryside. The application is to be publicly notified.