Highlands Motorsport Park is a purpose-built motorsport and visitor-attraction complex at Cromwell in Central Otago, roughly 45 minutes' drive from Queenstown. The site combines a full FIA Grade 3-standard circuit of about 4.1 kilometres with a cluster of shorter-format driving and non-driving activities, a museum, hospitality and dedicated function space, which makes it unusual among New Zealand racetracks in being designed for general and corporate visitors as much as for competition.
### Background and ownership
The project was conceived by a group of Central Otago and Queenstown motorsport enthusiasts, with the land sold in 2012 to Australian-based New Zealand businessman Tony Quinn, who funded and drove construction. The park opened on 31 March 2013. Quinn designed the circuit layout with his son Klark. He subsequently acquired Hampton Downs (2015) and Taupō International Motorsport Park (2021), giving the group a three-circuit national footprint. Highlands hosts national-level racing including the Highlands 101 endurance meeting, alongside its year-round visitor operation.
### Experiences
The park advertises more than a dozen on-site activities, spanning both self-drive and passenger formats. These include supercar and race-car experiences on the main circuit, an outdoor go-kart track, and a range of lower-adrenaline options for delegates who prefer not to drive. The National Motorsport Museum on site holds a collection of rare and historic cars, and the venue also has a motorsport-themed playground and a licensed cafe. Group sessions are typically timed and scored, with results announced and prizes awarded at the end - a format that suits competitive team activities without requiring participants to have any driving background.
### Group and conference capability
Highlands has genuine, purpose-built event infrastructure rather than repurposed space. A stand-alone pit-lane building houses a private conference room on level one, available for exclusive hire, with a glass frontage overlooking the circuit and the Central Otago landscape. The operator quotes capacity of up to 150 delegates theatre-style and around 120 for a seated dinner. Catering is handled in-house through the on-site licensed cafe, with dietary requirements including halal accommodated. The museum can also be used as a function backdrop.
The practical MICE application is straightforward: Highlands works as a half- or full-day incentive and team-building destination for Queenstown-based conferences, as a standalone off-site venue for a gala dinner or awards night with track activity attached, or as a stop on a Central Otago touring programme. The combination of a scored competitive activity, a distinctive dinner setting and a conference room in one location means a full delegate day can run without moving groups between suppliers. It is a strong fit for reward and recognition programmes where a memorable, high-energy anchor activity is required.
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