Temperatures in Central Otago are hovering near record levels for midwinter.
While skiers and snowboarders pine for snow, near-record temperatures have instead provided for the more traditional summer-like outdoor activities, such as water-skiing on Lake Wanaka.
Temperatures reached 16degC in the resort during the winter solstice weekend, only 1.8degC away from the record-high mark of 17.8degC, set in 2003.
Metservice's official weather station record - taken at the windy and exposed Wanaka Airport site - was 13degC, but in sheltered resort back yards, temperatures climbed higher.
Cromwell also recorded a temperature of 16degC yesterday for the shortest day.
A forecast southerly change had hit Queenstown by lunchtime, dropping the mercury to a single-digit reading of 8degC and continuing to frustrate skifields, hanging out to reach the chilly levels required to make artificial snow.
Alexandra's reading of 14degC was a long way off its June 2003 high mark of 21.4degC.
A MetService spokeswoman said the "warmish" temperatures were a result of a warm northwesterly flow of subtropical air mass but a change was imminent.
A southerly change was expected to bring snow to 500m overnight, while snow was forecast to fall to even lower levels tomorrow, which should bring some much-needed snow to Southern skifields.
The change arrived with a blast of cold rain last night, dropping the temperature in Wanaka to 6degC.
