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The snow dump caught many by surprise, stranding 250 skiers at Mt Lyford, near Christchurch, up the mountain overnight, leaving them to sleep in the resort's cafeteria. Some of the country's main roads have been closed due to snowfalls, and many others are coated in dangerous black ice, slowing traffic to a crawl. Some towns are expected to run out of petrol after tankers could not make the trip. The snow has not brought cheer to earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, where thousands of people are living in damaged homes or temporary accommodation. The worst white-out in a decade is keeping residents indoors, but many are struggling in freezing conditions. "We're very cold, feel a bit abandoned," one resident told Television New Zealand. "No power and people are cold, just another horrendous nightmare added on top of it." But for those in the tourism industry the news is great.
"It's absolutely awesome," said Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony
Everitt. "We've had two really big dumps over the last 10 days so the ski fields
are in great shape and the whole place is just a winter wonderland."
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