Ducks delight at Winter Festival

Kiwi rock bands The Black Seeds and The Feelers helped turn around a shaky start to today's final day of the 44th Queenstown Winter Festival as they performed to a respectable crowd in brightening afternoon sun on the resort's waterfront.

• Weather prompts festival cancellations

The day started with a little too much winter, with heavy snow, strong winds and poor visibility at Cardrona ski area forcing organisers to cancel the Tour de Cardies ski touring and Mountain Bikes on Snow races.

Persistent rain in the resort also prompted organisers to cancel the Hospo Race, which was scheduled to start at noon.

But the duck race fundraiser went ahead, with a big crowd of children, parents and curious onlookers gathering on the Village Green to watch hundreds of decorated ducks float down Horne Creek to the lake.

The last event of the festival is tonight's gig by local band Killergrams at the Sherwood hotel.