It's time for lessons on Cardrona slopes

Ski school instructor Orla McCormack with, from left, Millie Lyons (8), of Dunedin, Georgia Milne (8), of Auckland, Angus McLean (5), of Gold Coast, Lewis McLauchlan (6), of Dunedin, and Miles Ball (6), of Auckland, at a busy Cardrona Alpine Resort. Photo by Matthew Haggart.

Cardrona is in the midst of one of its busiest times of the season with visitors from around Australia and New Zealand converging on the skifield for the school holidays.

And swapping your schoolteacher for a "way cool" instructor was an awesome way to learn, said a group of youngsters at ski school this week.

Dunedin boy Lewis McLauchlan said his brother had been on the ski school programme last year and now it was his turn.

Lewis was in a group of five youngsters at Cardrona on Tuesday being taught the basics of skiing by instructor Orla McCormack.

The group was among dozens of other learners on the packed slopes of Cardrona, with holidaymakers staying in both Queenstown and Wanaka visiting the mountain.

Cardrona Alpine Resort ambassador Carol Little said visitor numbers were "absolutely amazing".

The resort's rentals equipment was being picked up in big numbers, while car parking on the hill was being filled up early in the mornings.

Cardrona employed about 220 instructors as part of its ski and snowboard school and children visitor numbers could be more than 400 a day during the school holidays, marketing manager Nadia Ellis said.