Australia fires: Smoke turns New Zealand skies ‘eerie’ yellow

Share

Smoke from huge bushfires in Australia is drifting as far away as New Zealand, 2,000km (1,200 miles) away, leading to haze and a burnt smell in the air.

 

Australia is grappling with bushfire crisis fuelled by record-breaking temperatures and months of drought.

 

The smoke first reached New Zealand’s South Island on 31 December turning skies a hazy yellow.

 

Since then, the south’s famous glaciers have vanished in haze and even North Island has seen its skies turn “eerie”.

 

At least 18 people are confirmed to have been killed by the bushfires, which have burned vast areas of several Australian states.

 

Several people are still missing and conditions are expected to worsen over the coming weekend.

 

“I have never seen anything like the haze over the past 48 hours,” Arthur McBride of glacier tour company Alpine Guides told the BBC.

 

Tourist flights up to Tasman, Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are a popular way to experience New Zealand’s stunning mountain scenery.

 

But for the past days, visitors have endured a thick yellow haze, instead of the white snow and bright blue skies expected.

 

“Wednesday afternoon was particularly bad,” Mr McBride says, “and the smell of woodsmoke is still distinct.”