Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black is warning people not to venture out onto frozen waterways. 

‘Ice has affected some areas of our lakes and there are also a number of frozen over ponds around the district,” he said. 

“We’ve had a number of reports of children and adults walking and playing on the ice and while it looks like fun, it is actually extremely dangerous.” 

He said while ice could look thick enough to hold a lot of weight, that might not be the case in reality. He said the changeable weather conditions could also mean sudden thaws causing the ice to weaken quickly. 

Mr Black advised extreme caution and asked parents not to let their children play near or on frozen waterways without supervision. 

ENDS

 For further information contact QLDC harbourmaster Marty Black on 0274 345 289

By: Jo Blick