That specialist is ice sculptor Victor Cagayat, of Auckland, who has been cutting, carving and finishing up to 10 new statues for the Minus 5 Ice Bar on Queenstown's Steamer Wharf.
This week was the first time the artist had worked at the bar since May.
He divides his time between jobs in ice bars in Queenstown, Auckland, Surfers Paradise and Sydney as well as private commissions.
"My ideas come from sightseeings, magazines, or when I wake up in the morning and I have fresh thoughts," he said.
"I start from single or three or four blocks of ice ordered from Christchurch and carve anything I want.
"Some people make requests and I do them. I hope they enjoy them."
Mr Cagayat was putting the finishing touches to a sculpture of two rugby players in a tackle when the Queenstown Times visited, but said the other statues would be a surprise for patrons.
His previous pieces were placed outside the premises to melt slowly in the winter sun.
"We give him suggestions and ideas but he basically goes in with a block of ice and creates," Minus 5 Ice Bar general manager Sara Turner said.
"It's always a nice surprise. We never know what we're going to get."
Minus 5, which opened in Queenstown in July 2004, is made of 18 tonnes of frozen H2O, including the walls, the seats, the bar and the glasses, in which vodka-based and non-alcoholic cocktails are served.
