The weather might have been described as crisp, clear and cold for the 500 or so spectators who gathered under perfect blue-sky conditions to watch the SkiDealsNZ.com Day on the Bay antics today (Tues June 26) as part of the Lindauer Queenstown Winter Festival.
But for the hapless contestants in the MORE FM Birdman, the SkiDealsNZ.com Undy 500, and the SkiDealsNZ.com Splash and Dash, it was probably best described as absolutely freezing.
However that wasn't about to deter a group of mad/hardy/keen contestants from hurling themselves into the crystal clear waters of Lake Wakatipu, or stripping down to some grundy undies to race along the beach, urged on by the warm and appreciative crowd.
The entertainment factor at the MORE FM Birdman hit an all time high as contestants shamelessly 'performed' for the audience before attempting to fly (or float). Queenstown company Kawarau Jet came first for their performance factor and having a mini jetboat that at least floated when it hit the water, followed by Hush Spa's little blue Beetle in second and an impressive Air New Zealand plane taking a spectacular nosedive for third place.
In the Undy 500, just two females were brave enough to show off their winter tans, with Rosa Scott taking first place and Klara Bartova second.
By contrast, the males race was hotly contested, with seven guys stripping down to brightly coloured boxers, questionable Y-fronts, and in one case a very questionable pair of grey socks.
Barefoot and toned to the max, Englishman Nikki Wicks blitzed the pack to take line honours, with Ryan McDowell second.
Then it was the turn of Queenstown's own America's Cup boat, NZL14, to seize the limelight, as she took contestants in the SkiDealsNZ.com Splash & Dash out to the centre of Queenstown Bay.
With the snow-capped mountains a perfect backdrop, contestants leapt from the red boat to swim furiously to shore. Mark Wilson was first and Craig Norrie second, while sole female Natalie Urbani doggy-paddled to the beach to take the women's title.
Winter festival organisers today released details of a new-look SkiDealsNZ.com Rail Jam, to be held on Friday (June 29) at the new time of 3pm at Coronet Peak ski area.
The ramped-up rail jam format will provide spectacular competitive action under lights on the first night skiing session of the season. An awesome three-hit rail will be installed directly in front of the Coronet Peak sundeck and there will be live music, pumping sounds from a DJ and the best rail tricks from the region's freestylers.
The rail jam will replace Saturday's scheduled SkiDealsNZ.com Big Air, which has had to be cancelled due to insufficient snow required to build the huge kicker and landing area.
"To build a kicker big enough for a Big Air event requires a huge amount of snow," said Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie.
"This is always a big ask and particularly this early in the season. Ideally we would have loved to have been able to run the event but despite concerted snowmaking efforts and the recent natural falls, it won't take place this year. "
At 5.30pm the streets of Queenstown came alive with the stunning Mardi Gras Mayhem Lantern Parade, followed by the Telecom Mardi Gras, featuring ten bands, three stages, and plenty of food and drink stalls, and the ever-popular American Express Fireworks display.
The festival continues tomorrow (Wednesday June 27) with Downtown Day from 12 noon featuring the Hell Pizza Toss and Q92 The Breeze Festival Drag Race. Other highlights include Game On, Mountain Scene's Sporting Spectacular hosted by the irrepressible Tony Veitch, and the sellout Lindauer Laugh Fest event.
The Lindauer Queenstown Winter Festival is the Southern Hemisphere's ultimate winter celebration and runs from June 22 to July 1.
