Since getting the chance a couple of years back to see Vivid Sydney I was excited to be able to see LUMA Southern Light Project in Queenstown this week.

The Queenstown’s Winter Festival kicked off last weekend, and this is one of the components of it.  After work on Thursday I took a wander along to have a look.  I have to say I was a little disappointed, frankly I expected more – the installations themselves were beautiful, but I just expected more of them.  I expected something more like I’d seen in Sydney. However since viewing these 4 installations, I have since learnt this is a pilot for a planned (and presumably larger) LUMA event next year.  So who knows what it might turn into?

And with the mountainous scenery in and around Queenstown, you couldn’t ask for a more spectacular back drop.

The art works themselves were created by Angus Muir Design and/or AJ Design Co.

Another attraction as part of the festival is the ice-skating rink in the middle of the town.  It was still early when I arrived and no skaters were out, but I did see people skating on Friday at lunchtime.  With such unusually cold weather, with temperatures only just reaching freezing (yes, it was that cold!), it would be a good way to keep warm.

So I look forward to future winter festivals in Queenstown.  As a non-skier, boarder and someone who generally hates cold, Queenstown isn’t somewhere I’d consider normally coming in winter.  But, they may convince me if they extend this light festival to something more spectacular.

Be sure to check out my other posts about New Zealand including more on Queenstown.