08-26-2019, 10:20 PM
Queenstown is located in Otago so is a place that has extremes in weather, in winter it's the place the ski bunnies go whether they're from overseas or locals. A lot of the worlds top skiers go there for their practice for events like the Winter Olympics and such. With the advent of snowboarding, snowboarders also go there.
One advantage with Queenstown is that with it being further south the ski season is longer than here in the north island, so skiers both professional and enthusiasts get a long season in the snow. Some skiers start their session in the south and then come north to Ruapehu for the different slopes later in the ski season.
The good thing with skiing in Queenstown is that if skiers want a break from skiing there's other things to do whether it be bungee jumping or just getting out and enjoying the scenery in the local towns and bush, with Fiordland not far away folk get to see some great scenery and can also go for a cruise on the Earnslaw and see the huge lake of crystal clear water surrounded by bushland.
Good warm clothing is a must if you're there, as is wet weather gear, the region can be very cold in winter, if folk travel to Fiordland wet weather gears a must as they have a high rainfall there, I believe in excess of 2 feet of rain a year is common and it can be a lot higher.
Strangely, the summer temperatures can get up into the 30's, that's celsius while winter temperatures can see a good day at a high of 10 degrees, the overnight lows can get down to a slightly chilly -20 degrees in winter while summer time lows overnight are a warmer 16 degrees on average, so the weather is a little extreme at times. I remember folk saying the temperatures on the ski slopes in winter can get a high of 0 degrees on a good day, so good warm clothing and footwear is a must.
When The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was filmed a lot of the scenes that saw them in the snow and climbing snow covered hills and mountains was filmed down there, while the actors may have loved the region they did find it a tad chilly.
One advantage with Queenstown is that with it being further south the ski season is longer than here in the north island, so skiers both professional and enthusiasts get a long season in the snow. Some skiers start their session in the south and then come north to Ruapehu for the different slopes later in the ski season.
The good thing with skiing in Queenstown is that if skiers want a break from skiing there's other things to do whether it be bungee jumping or just getting out and enjoying the scenery in the local towns and bush, with Fiordland not far away folk get to see some great scenery and can also go for a cruise on the Earnslaw and see the huge lake of crystal clear water surrounded by bushland.
Good warm clothing is a must if you're there, as is wet weather gear, the region can be very cold in winter, if folk travel to Fiordland wet weather gears a must as they have a high rainfall there, I believe in excess of 2 feet of rain a year is common and it can be a lot higher.
Strangely, the summer temperatures can get up into the 30's, that's celsius while winter temperatures can see a good day at a high of 10 degrees, the overnight lows can get down to a slightly chilly -20 degrees in winter while summer time lows overnight are a warmer 16 degrees on average, so the weather is a little extreme at times. I remember folk saying the temperatures on the ski slopes in winter can get a high of 0 degrees on a good day, so good warm clothing and footwear is a must.
When The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was filmed a lot of the scenes that saw them in the snow and climbing snow covered hills and mountains was filmed down there, while the actors may have loved the region they did find it a tad chilly.
Love many, trust few, paddle your own waka.