Aucklanders eager for a taste of genuine Queenstown snow will get the chance to dig in a pit of man-made snow for table-tennis balls that could represent a trip to the 2012 Queenstown Winter Festival.
Festival sponsorship and marketing manager Jono Sutherland said the event, which would be held in Queen St, Auckland, today, was all about doing something different.
"It's always been an idea to do something in Auckland; it's about taking a bit of Queenstown to Auckland."
The snow, all 20cu m of it, would be delivered from Snow Planet on the North Shore into the city centre.
He said that when people arrived at the square, they would receive a ticket, and correlating tickets would be placed into a hat from which 20 lucky people would be drawn.
Diggers, who must be over 18, would have a good chance of winning a range of prizes, from Quiksilver jackets to beer and wine.
"It's a number system. There are ping-pong balls in the snow and once someone finds a ball, they come to us and claim their prize," Mr Sutherland said.
He hoped workers would come to the dig during their lunch hour.
He estimated festival goers were now most likely a 50-50 split between international and domestic visitors.
Aucklanders make up 30% of the domestic market.
The 2012 Queenstown Winter Festival starts on July 22, with a party and fireworks, and runs until July 1.
Included in more than 50 attractions are the Flight of the Conchords, an ice rink with coloured lights, and the New Zealand premiere of Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.
- Christina McDonald.
