Temperatures in Queenstown plunged to a low of -10degC yesterday morning, the coldest recorded ground frost in the resort since July 1968, forecaster David Crow, of Queenstown, said. It was the 12th severe frost in as many days in the resort.
Queenstown Accommodation Centre director Hayley Stevenson said additional staff had been hired to answer telephones after more than 100 tenants in 35 flats let by the company discovered frozen pipes had disabled their showers, toilets and even kitchen sinks in the last two weeks.
And insurance assessor Stuart McLean, of Queenstown, said the number of claims he dealt with had been building in the last two weeks, with 10 lodged since Tuesday alone. The size of the claims ranged from "a few thousand dollars" for flooded homes to about $100,000 for damaged commercial properties, including hotels, he said.
The cumulative impact of the persistent cold temperatures was to blame, but more problems were expected when the ground began to thaw, causing damaged and frozen pipes to flood more homes, he predicted. In some cases, the icy conditions were the only things holding the water back in damaged pipes.
"Just about every home in Queenstown or the Wakatipu basin will have a frozen pipe somewhere," he said.
Ms Stevenson said some accommodation centre tenants without contents insurance had been caught out by flooding from burst pipes, as their property was not covered by existing insurance policies for the homes they were renting. Other tenants were using camping-ground showers and toilets, she said.
Staff were also aware of at least one window which spontaneously shattered because of the cold and a 40,000-litre water tank that had "frozen solid".
"It varies from one frozen tap to a frozen house," she said. "It's extreme conditions and we are just doing the best we can to keep the houses going and keep them warm. A lot of times the plumbers can't do anything.
They have just got to wait for it to thaw out." She urged residents to keep their homes as warm and moisture-free as possible, and to keep taps and showers running at a trickle, to fight the big freeze.
Mr Crow said the persistent frosts had dragged Queenstown's average temperature for July down from the expected 3.7degC to a chilly 2.6degC.
The cold snap was expected to continue, with snow forecast to fall to "lake level" in Queenstown on Saturday, he said.