Queenstown

Queenstown is an alpine environment, and often experiences very cold temperatures during winter. Due to the high hills north of the central and western Queenstown suburbs, many areas lose the sun very early in winter, and sometimes can stay frosty all day. The main source of air pollution is wood burners for home heating, however overall, air pollution is not at risk of extremely high concentrations seen in Central Otago because of the presence of the lake, which generally cause increased wind speeds. The wind patterns in the Queenstown area are highly complex due to the lake and the surrounding mountains. This impacts the spatial patterns of air quality, and can create small pockets where higher pollutant concentrations can accumulate. The areas most at risk of higher pollution are the older established residential areas of the Frankton area and Fernhill/Sunshine Bay.