The skifield overlooking Lake Ohau opens today and co-owner Mike Neilson said it was ‘‘looking good’’.
‘‘We’ve been making snow flat out all week, because we’ve had good, cold temperatures at night,’’ he said.
Mr Neilson had his fingers crossed for good weather today, so people could ‘‘get their legs out there and get a wee bit of exercise to build up the muscles for a good season’’.
Last year’s ski season ended abruptly, when a devastating fire tore through Lake Ohau Village on October 4, which was supposed to be last day of the season.
Mr Neilson and his wife Louise’s home, and the homes of about 11 staff, were among the 48 destroyed in the fire. The fire did not reach the lodge or the skifield.
‘‘Some of [the staff] lost all their belongings they had with them,’’ Mr Neilson said.
As a result of the fire, the skifield did not go through its normal close-down and staff had a little bit more work to do to prepare things this year.
‘‘Everything was a bit chaotic [last year],’’ Mr Neilson said.
‘‘So there’s a few little tricks in life because of the fire.’’
Mr and Mrs Neilson were in the process of rebuilding — but not at Lake Ohau Village. They had decided to build a manager’s house by the lodge, about 6km west of the village.
They had been well-supported by New Zealanders after the Covid-19 lockdown last year, and demand for season passes and bookings at the lodge were ‘‘very, very good — very strong’’ again this season, Mr Neilson said.
However, like other operators around the country, Mr and Mrs Neilson had struggled to get New Zealanders to fill the gaps left by international workers this year.
International workers usually made up about half of Lake Ohau Lodge and Ohau Snow Fields’ payroll. Many of them chased winters between hemispheres, but were now unable to enter New Zealand due to Covid-19 border closures.
While they had a lot of offers of temporary support in recent weeks, Mr and Mrs Neilson were still searching for a permanent head chef at the lodge.
