Tracey Roxburgh

Hundreds have braved chilly conditions in Queenstown to take in all the sights of the 35th Queenstown Winter Festival Street Parade.

Tonight will mark the "official" start of winter in Queenstown as thousands converge on Earnslaw Park to launch the 2009 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival in style.

Prime Minister John Key is expected to announce a major funding boost - thought to be about $500,000 - for the inaugural Winter Games NZ in August when he visits Queenstown to open the Winter Festival tonight.

Another seven arrests were made in Operation Dove in Cromwell on Wednesday night just a day after nine people were charged with supplying and offering to supply Class A-controlled LSD, MDMA (ecstasy) and BZP.

Kawarau Jet has been awarded the Qualmark Enviro-silver accreditation in recognition of its dedication to environmental sustainable practice.

Seventeen Queenstown Resort College (QRC) students mixed business with pleasure this week when they visited Coronet Peak Ski Area as part of their Adventure Tourism Diploma.

From today, Arrowtown entrepreneur Michael Hill will be able to add author to his ever-increasing list of accomplishments.

Michael Hill could have been excused for popping a Champagne cork yesterday after independent commissioners John Matthews and Andrew Henderson granted resource consent for 17 underground houses to be built on The Hills golf course near Arrowtown.

Treble Cone chairman Nat Craig yesterday said the ski area had been approached by "some parties" and was in discussions over a possible sale.

"Pretty stoked" is how the Remarkables Ski Area manager Ross Lawrence described the feeling ahead of the field's 2009 season opening this weekend.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes yesterday confirmed plans for a new $30 million council headquarters had been shelved after strong opposition from ratepayers.

A "minor" spill of about 1000 litres of sewage near the Frankton track about noon yesterday is being investigated by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

For the first time in 10 years, Mt Hutt Ski Area's slopes will open two weeks ahead of schedule - with help from its "sister mountains" in Queenstown.

Management at Queenstown's two skifields were thrilled with the weekend cold front which brought a month's worth of precipitation to the Wakatipu in two days, although neither field plans to open early.

With the opening of Coronet Peak Ski Area just eight weeks away, there was no better reminder winter was on its way than the 10cm of snow that fell at the skifield on Tuesday night, and also at The Remarkables Ski Area.

Seven state-of-the-art Kassbohrer Pisten Bully 600 and 400 series snow groomers, valued at $550,000 each, are on their way to NZSki's slopes.

From fog, to frost, snow and then sun, Wakatipu residents appear to have had four completely different weather patterns in four days.