Snow blankets Queenstown for Winter Festival
24 Jun 2010
Winter’s first heavy snowfall has blanketed New Zealand's adventure capital of Queenstown overnight, just in time for the start of the Queenstown Winter Festival.
Delighted school children in the area received a ‘snow day’ off school today (24.06.10), and some flights were delayed as 10cm of snow was cleaned off the airport runway.
Inland Canterbury, north of Twizel is expected to receive another 3 - 6cm of snow above 400 metres. Arthurs Pass, in the Southern Alps, recorded about 8cm of snow.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said the snow heralded a promising season for the region.
"The timing of the snowfall couldn’t be better with winter celebrations set to kick off this weekend," Everitt said.
"The beauty of Queenstown is that you don’t have to be a snow sports fanatic to enjoy the winter season, there’s a huge range of activities on offer on and off the mountain."
NZ's biggest winter party
The snow has arrived just in time for the 36th Queenstown Winter Festival - an iconic 10-day celebration billed as the southern hemisphere’s biggest winter party.
Celebrations begin tomorrow night (25.06.10) with a ‘parade of lights’ as thousands of people carry lights down to Earnslaw Park on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. New Zealand Prime Minister Mr John Key will officially open the festival.
The Queenstown Winter Festival has been ranked among the world’s Top 10 must-see festivals by Yahoo!7 Travel. The carnival atmosphere during the 10-day festival is legendary and draws crowds of visitors.
This year there will be a mix of activities ranging from glitzy balls to wine and food evenings, live music and free family events.
Fresh powder on ski slopes
Fresh snow is just the icing on the cake for all four of the South Island’s Southern Lakes ski areas. Treble Cone opened for the first day of the ski season with 15cm of fresh powder on the upper mountain and 5cm on the base.
The heavy snow dump was a promising start for many ski enthusiasts who rose extra early to fit chains on vehicles so they could safely head to the slopes. Both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski fields near Queenstown received 15cm of fresh powder.
Cardrona, near Lake Wanaka, plans to open tomorrow (25.06.2010) with at least 80cm of snow on the upper mountain, and 45cm on the lower slopes after receiving 15cm of fresh snow overnight.
More information
Party time at Queenstown Winter Festival
Off-piste New Zealand snow adventures
Cool, it’s snow time in New Zealand
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