Effects from Central Otago's recent spate of fires will be felt for years, as land is revegetated and a Roxburgh family's home rebuilt.
Between December 28 and January 6, there were five fires in and around Alexandra, Clyde, and Roxburgh, which collectively destroyed one house and more than 60ha of land.
Revegetation is expected to take 15 years.
The most devastating fire occurred on New Year's Day when flames, fanned by northwest winds of up to 100kmh, razed John and Pat Kerr's home and burnt 40ha of land on a hill behind Roxburgh.
The blaze was thought to have started with sparking power lines.
It took 60 firefighters from throughout Central Otago, as well as seven helicopters, to extinguish it.
Firefighters were repeatedly called to the scorched area to douse flare-ups and hot spots in following days.
Mr and Mrs Kerr, whose house was fully insured, own the Commercial Hotel and Backpackers in Roxburgh where they are living at present.
Mr Kerr said they had received many offers of help and kind messages which was "very humbling".
The cost of extinguishing the fire - borne by the New Zealand Fire Service - is not yet known, although it is expected to be substantial.
The Department of Conservation is also facing a large bill and years of restorative work after 40 firefighters battled a blaze at the Flat Top Hill conservation area near Alexandra on December 28.
The cause of the fire, which burnt 20ha and was estimated to cost about $80,000 to extinguish, has yet to be determined.
Doc Otago deputy principal rural fire officer Trevor Mitchell said the final cost of extinguishing the fire should be known by the end of this week.
Mr Mitchell said the estimated $80,000 did not include restoration.
Doc Central Otago area manager Mike Tubbs said a further $10,000 would be spent replacing about 750m of rabbit-proof fence, which had been in place for more than 20 years.
Weed control within the charred site would continue, to help the natural revegetation of native flora and fauna, he said.
"The fire has set it back about 15 years so it's a significant loss and very disappointing," Mr Tubbs said.
A further three fires - two of which were deliberately lit - were small by comparison and the associated costs minimal.
A 21-year-old Clyde man caused a small fire in the Pines reserve on the outskirts of Alexandra by setting off fireworks on January 1, while children were responsible for a fire which burned 1ha of land near houses in Clyde on January 5, and for a grass fire on an empty section between Orchard Dr and the Clutha River at Alexandra on January 6.
Police are looking for a suspected firebug after the lighting of four recent fires in a secluded roadside area next to the Wanaka golf course.
The Wanaka Fire Brigade put out another fire on Tuesday night, deliberately lit in grass and scrub at the hilltop intersection of Chalmers St and Stratford Tce, where three fires were extinguished during the weekend, Constable Greg Nolet said.
Detective Dave Evans called for residents and people near the fires to be vigilant.
"It is a concentrated activity in one area. There has been some effort gone into getting these fires started and lit," he said.
It was hard to tell whether any accelerants had been used, he said.
The fires have been lit in roadside scrub across the fence from the No 1 tee of the Wanaka golf course.
A pine tree and dry needles was the first area to be set on fire, before subsequent "small" blazes were lit in grass a few metres along from the initial fire, Const Nolet said.
Whoever was responsible for lighting the fires might be using the Wanaka golf course as an access route to and from where the fires were being lit, Det Evans said.
