A feature of the track and field meeting at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday was the presence of the Queensland Development team.
The 23 emerging athletes left their homes in 40degC and flew into Christchurch for a meeting with Papanui TocH last weekend, before travelling on to Queenstown.
The warmth at home has been a distant memory as they have, for most of the past week, endured plunging temperatures and an unseasonal wind chill.
Team managers Nick Bennett, Shannon Kruger and Rob Gardner are quick to point out the positives of what has been an annual pilgrimage for the past six years.
Less than two weeks ago, one of the squad, Alana Schurmann (14), was in her home town of St George, situated six hours west of Brisbane, with the gauge nearing 50degC.
On Saturday, with wind chill taken into account, she was at the Caledonian Ground in conditions nearly 40degC cooler.
Despite the inclement conditions, the team has again enjoyed its time in New Zealand, particularly in Queenstown, where the athletes made use of the region's attractions for team bonding and training.
''It's about identifying some of our talented athletes and getting them to experience competition overseas,'' Bennett said.
''And to know what it's like to live out of a suitcase, compete in overseas conditions, and bond with fellow team-mates.''
Bennett mentioned his fondness for the Caledonian Ground, comparing with to a ground in Townsville.
''This is a beautiful little ground,'' he said.
He said most regional grounds in Queensland were grass tracks and that the group would mostly experience all-weather tracks only when competing at the bigger stadiums, in top-flight competition.
