Queenstown's skifields are being outshone this long weekend by another highlight of the resort town's calendar - the annual LUMA Southern Light Project.
"It's really a project about light installations, sculpture, and the ability to draw people into a creative world that they wouldn't have otherwise experienced," said Duncan Forsyth, the project's coordinator.
This year's theme is 'explore', where visitors are encouraged to follow the path deep into the gardens to discover a magical world.
Twenty-nine installations have been set up this year by artists from around the country, including projects from local schools and large-scale designs by popular artists.
Organisers say the project is about bringing the community together, but for the artists, it's an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas.
"[LUMA] gives us a place to explore non-client work and just lets us kind of do art for the sake of art, really," artist Delainy Kennedy said.
One of the largest pieces this year is an enchanted forest created with 72,000 individual lights.
"It's a totally immersive experience. You can view it from up the top, from down on each side or you can go right into it," artist Angus Muir said.
The free event relies entirely on volunteers and, for them, the final product is worth the hard work.
"I like following people around and just listening to their reactions," Mr Forsyth said.
More than 40,000 people are expected to visit the LUMA Southern Light Project over four nights.
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