By 1894, the first Cobb & Co coach replaced the bullock wagons, transporting people and supplies to Mount Cook via Tekapo and Pukaki. The American built Concorde Coach was considered quite luxurious at the time, and can still be viewed at the Fairlie museum.
In 1906, Rodolph Wigley and John Rutherford made the journey in two, single cylinder, De Dion motor cars, and this lead to the formation of the Mount Cook Motor Car Service which later became the Mount Cook Motor Company.
The company purchased four powerful Darracq cars that could take eight passengers and travel at 9 miles per hour! Many drivers at this time had carrier pigeons so they could send for assistance in case of a break down. Rodolph Wigley lobbied the government of the era to take a more serious approach to tourism, and became the driving force that resurrected the Hermitage Hotel, as well as transport services to Mount Cook. A new Hermitage was completed in 1914, and the number of visitors increased dramatically, particularly after the rivers were bridged, making travel much easier.
In 1922, Wigley finally persuaded the government to grant him the lease of the Hermitage, and he then set about promoting the area for a much extended season for both climbing and skiing. Near the end of the Second World War in 1944, Wigley finally parted company with the Hermitage which became part of the Government Tourist Department, and was able to concentrate on the Mount Cook Motor Company.
The Hermitage then had the misfortune of burning down in 1957, and a new hotel was completed on the site by 1958. Rodolph's son, Harry, then became an advocate and entrepreneur in the post war tourism boom and developed retractable skis so their aircraft could land on the glaciers, with the first landing on the Tasman Glacier in 1955.
The legacy of the Wigley's lived on the form of the Mount Cook Company, including the Mount Cook Airline, which became part of Air New Zealand. The Mount Cook brand also adorned new motor coaches and land transport trucks for many years.