Like all great events, our Queenstown holiday started with a bang: caused by me kicking my suitcase in frustration. It toppled over, slapping loudly onto the tiled floor of the departure lounge. Everybody looked.

"Our flight's cancelled!" I say for the 9^th time to my long-suffering friend, Fiona. "Cancelled!" I look up to the taunting departure screen again: Flight QF2751, Christchurch to Queenstown, CANCELLED. Queenstown airport CLOSED.

Our options are announced over the loud speaker: take a credit for our flights and come back another day, or take the seven hour bus ride offered by Qantas.

"It's sleeting in Queenstown," someone says. "The Lindis Pass might be closed," says another. "What if we can't fly back Sunday?"

Outside, drizzly, autumnal Christchurch stares bleakly back at us, confirming our decision: Queenstown, here we (ever so slowly) come!

Eight hours later we arrive in chilly May darkness. "The sleet," says our taxi driver, "has only just stopped."

Our breath comes in cloudy white puffs as we trundle up the steps of Peppers Beacon hotel.

Walking in to our second storey suite is like sinking into a deliciously warm bath. The soft lights and flickering gas fire thaw our icy hands and reignite our girls' weekend excitement. We bounce around the sleek lounge/dining/kitchen area, race into our plush bedrooms and exclaim at our individual ensuites. Outside, a smattering of people walk briskly along the lake shore. If they looked up they would see the floor-to-ceiling windows and balcony of our glowing, open-curtained suite and the silhouettes of two grown women punching the air with delight.

Hair-straighteners on, pink bubbles poured, contents of enormous suitcases emptied. Outfits picked, footwear matched, handbags filled. Jackets buttoned, scarves wrapped and hats on. We're ready.

Outside, the three degree air is a shock, but five minutes' walk brings us to the romantically lit, schist-clad centre of Queenstown. Having last visited in the balmy hubbub of summer, the petite town is almost unrecognisable in its desertedness.

Autumn is Queenstown's official off-season. With no snow to lure the skiers and little sun to entice the party-going bungy-jumpers, April and May give locals time to regroup and relax before the onset of the town's famously wild winters. In a bid to keep the tourism industry at least flickering during this time, many businesses offer discounts on activities, dining and accommodation - part of a collective seasonal promotion called 'True Colours'.

More interested in warmth than discounts for now, Fiona and I duck into a cosy restaurant with a toe-tapping jazz band tucked into one corner. We rhythmically shimmy our shoulders through three delectable courses.

Next morning I smile as I get out of bed: the carpeted floors are heated. Even without our trusty fire burning I'm warm and cosy as I stare in wonder at the tall snowy crags and glassy lake outside. After a full buffet breakfast we're as tempted as ever to sink into our couches and while away the day reading magazines, fireside. But there's some serious shopping to be done!

We start at the weekly Queenstown craft market where a huddle of stallholders peddle locally made wares beside the wharf. We ooh and ahh so much over Jude Breese's quirky earrings that she invites us to stay and tout her jewellery. "I make them for fun, really" says Jude of her colourful creations. "I just enjoy it so much." In her thick felt hat, with thermos at the ready, Jude's passion is admirable on this icy morning.

Many hours and dollars later we stroll back towards Peppers. The sun has come out and brought with it a gaggle of adventurous tourists. Inspired by the paragliding, jet-boating, segway-riding masses we head up the gondola for a ride down the luge.

The Queenstown gondola is a cornerstone of this town's tourism industry. Long before AJ Hackett introduced his famous rubber bands, Skyline Enterprises was carting people up and down a pine-covered hill behind Queenstown. The luge - which sees visitors zooming down a series of concrete tracks on individual plastic carts - was added in 1998.

At the top we find yesterday's snow lingering on both sides of the wiggly luge track. The effect is breathtakingly beautiful and equally cold. Our bare hands turn red then white as they slice through the frosty air on our downward race. Our noses dribble and eyes stream with tears but by the end we can hardly speak for laughing.

We giggle all the way back to the hotel.

Hair-straighteners on, pink bubbles poured, contents of enormous suitcases emptied. Outfits picked, footwear matched, handbags ready. Jackets buttoned, scarves wrapped and hats on. We're ready; this time for Wine Tastes.

From outside, Wine Tastes, in downtown Queenstown, looks like a swanky, schist-lined bottle store. Venture in and you'll find it is a swanky schist-lined bottle store, but with a twist. The clever Enomatic wine serving system allows visitors to wander between wines and pour a taste, a half-glass or a full glass, racking up a bill as they go.

We go for the wine and cheese option. Settling into two high-backed leather chairs we chatter about the wines and gush over the delectable Whitestone cheeseboard. Two hours and five tastes later, we're ready for that doze-inducing fire once again...

Suddenly, it's Sunday. We opt to end our holiday in style with a ride on the historic TSS Earnslaw. Built in 1912, the grand old ship is the only coal-fired passenger vessel still operating in the Southern Hemisphere. After a short bout at the breezy bow we venture indoors to explore the honeyed-timber saloon, clanking steam room and bustling lower deck. Our arrival back in Queenstown is announced with a mighty shuddering blast of the horn.

There's time for a quick lunch and a last minute trawl of the shops before our shuttle speeds us to the airport (it's open!) for our swift flight home.

Amelia is Content Editor of the New Zealand travel and tourism website www.fourcorners.co.nz.

Amelia's accommodation was provided by Peppers Beacon Queenstown.

Accommodation prices start at $245 per couple per night. Phone +64 3 441 0890 or email beacon@peppers.co.nz for more information and reservations.