By Fallen line or hazard
Stay back 8 metres minimum and dial 111 first. Ice-coated lines after a winter storm can drop silently: assume they are still energised.
Aurora Energy
Queenstown, Wanaka and Central Otago
24/7 faults line. Same number as Dunedin: ask the operator to route to the Cromwell or Frankton depot.
Coverage: Queenstown CBD, Fernhill, Sunshine Bay, Frankton, Lake Hayes, Arrowtown, Arthurs Point, Glenorchy, Wanaka, Albert Town, Hawea, Cromwell, Alexandra, Clyde.
Help your neighbours
Live community map & report a power cut
If neighbours are also without power, the fault is on the network, not your switchboard. The map below shows outages reported by other Selectra readers across New Zealand in real time. Use it as a first diagnostic before you call: if an active outage is already plotted near you, crews likely know about it. A short anonymous report helps others see what is happening in your suburb. It does not replace the call to your lines company.
Immediate danger
Fallen power line, sparks, burning smell or smoke? Call 111 before reporting anything else. Stay back at least 8 metres from any downed line.
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Report a power cut
Thanks: your report is recorded
Now make the official call to your lines company so a crew is dispatched. For a fallen line or any hazard, dial 111 first.
Alpine network signatures
What drives Queenstown and Wanaka outages
An alpine network with extreme seasonal load swings looks very different from a flat coastal city. Three local patterns dominate the outage register.
Winter snow + freezing rain
Coronet Peak fringe, Crown Range road, Cardrona, Arthurs Point, Hawea Flat: snow loading and ice on conductors trigger sag and switching trips. Restoration takes hours when access roads are closed.
Nor'westerly downbursts
Frankton, Lake Hayes, Queenstown airport: classic Otago nor'westers produce sudden, violent gusts that can knock out feeders even in clear weather. Conductor clashes and isolated tree fall drive these events.
Construction-driven strikes
Queenstown Lakes is the fastest-growing district in NZ. Underground cable strikes by contractors building new houses and infrastructure are a regular source of localised outages, especially in Quail Rise, Jacks Point, Hawea Park and Three Parks.
The peak-season load problem
Queenstown population can more than double during peak ski season and summer holidays. Aurora and Transpower have invested heavily in transmission and local reinforcement, but the network still runs closer to capacity than most NZ regions. Brief load-driven dips occur during very cold evenings when every chalet heater is running at once.
Aurora damage claim, Queenstown Lakes
Same process as Dunedin. Construction-strike claims, where a contractor caused the fault, typically resolve faster because liability is clearer.
- 1Call 0800 22 00 05 for the incident reference.
- 2Submit the online form on auroraenergy.co.nz within 30 days.
- 3Photos, receipts, registered electrician's report. Snow-driven outages are usually deemed weather, not negligence.
- 4Decision in 4 to 6 weeks.
Queenstown questions
Frequently asked questions: Queenstown outages
Aurora Energy, on 0800 22 00 05, 24/7. The same number covers Frankton, Arrowtown, Lake Hayes, Wanaka, Hawea, Cromwell and Alexandra. For a hazard, dial 111 first.
Snow and freezing rain load overhead conductors, causing sag and protective switch trips. The Crown Range and Coronet Peak fringe feeders are especially exposed. Restoration is slow when access roads are blocked. Aurora has invested in some undergrounding of the worst sections, but most of the rural Queenstown Lakes network remains overhead.
Single urban fault in central Queenstown or Frankton: 45 to 90 minutes. Suburban (Sunshine Bay, Arrowtown): 1 to 2 hours. Rural alpine spurs (Glenorchy, Cardrona, Hawea Flat): 2 to 8 hours, occasionally longer in heavy snow. Lakes District Hospital and water-pumping infrastructure are priority restoration.
Mostly, yes. Aurora and Transpower have invested in transmission reinforcement and local substation upgrades over recent years. Peak-season evenings (cold July night, every chalet heater on) can still produce brief voltage dips, but full outages from load are very rare. Most Queenstown outages are weather or construction-driven, not load-driven.
Usually yes, for spoiled food (sub-limit typically $200 to $500) and surge-damaged appliances. Check your policy wording for "power surge", "spoiled food" and "alpine" exclusions. Households in seasonally-occupied properties (chalets, baches) should confirm cover applies when the property is unoccupied: some policies exclude after 60 days vacant.