After the disappointment of the cancelling of today's Idaburn Curling Council bonspiel, they're on the lookout for a series of hard frosts.
That, they hope, will thicken the ice so they can call a national two-day bonspiel - one to rival the record-breaking gathering in 2007.
New Zealand Curling Association ice master Stewart McKnight is confident this year's winter will deliver the required consistently heavy frosts.
"That [a national bonspiel] is our priority," he said.
Mr McKnight, of Ranfurly, said the council "took a gamble" on Monday and called today's bonspiel for the Idaburn dam near Oturehua after hard frosts were forecast.
Instead, mild temperatures on Monday night forced the cancellation. Today's bonspiel was the first called since July 2007, when more than 270 curlers competed.
Mr McKnight and other ice masters drill holes in the ice each day to monitor thickness and consistency.
Cover was "pretty consistent" at present, at just over 8cm.
"We've a good base to start with and just need the extra frost," Mr McKnight said.
At least 10cm of black ice was required to hold about 150 people, and more than 12.7cm would be needed for a national bonspiel.
This weekend's forecast was "terrible" for ice making, although there was still plenty of winter to come. "It's usually in mid-July when conditions are right," Mr McKnight said.
