18/06/2026
The Big Snow of 2006. Geoff and Nathan reflect on this major event that hit our network 20 years ago…❄️❄️
“It was 10.30 on Sunday night when I got the call to head up to Benmore Station, up past Omarama” Geoff Jones explains. “It was pelting down with rain in Oamaru, not much wind, just cold, wet and miserable. By the time Joe and I got to Georgetown I needed to stop to give the inside of the windscreen a wipe, and I realised that rain wasn’t the issue, it was snow, and it was heavy to boot.”
“Not far out of Duntroon the conditions really deteriorated, and snow was falling thick and heavy. 30 minutes later I made it to Kurow. The snow was coming down in clumps nearly the size of fists, making a thud when it made contact. After consulting with the Duty Controller we agreed that there wasn’t a lot that could be achieved at that time, so we headed back to Oamaru to prepare for the next day”, Geoff said.
“The phone went again at about 2am” Geoff reflects. “We were losing the surrounding 11kV feeders in quick succession, so back out again we went, and spent the next 2-3 hours carrying out switching on the Network to restore as much as possible. It had become a real challenge to access the hill areas inland from Duntroon and Blackpoint. It took three goes to get up onto Smillies Road at Bortons, and Taylors and Doveys Roads were both blocked with trees across the road.”
“We got back to Oamaru about 5am, and I headed to the office to get a plan of attack in place and start calling up the cavalry for an early start”, Geoff said. “Ironically, most of the guys who I could get hold of all thought I was joking”.
Nathan Cunningham reflects on that morning…. “I can remember it vividly. Geoff Jones phoned me about 5.30 in the morning and said, ‘Can you come to work now, the network has massive damage’. And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he said, ‘We have areas from about Weston to Ohau without power’. I said, ‘From what?’ He said, ‘Snow’. I looked out the bedroom window and said, ‘What are you on about? I can see grass’.
“I was sent out to Ngapara. I can remember going into Weston and still not seeing anything, then I came around the corner as you hit the limeworks and there was two foot of snow, from nothing. I looked across the paddocks and you could see snow and green paddocks on an angle all the way up the hill, it was like a perfect cut. By the time I got to Duntroon, they were dealing with half a metre of snow.”
And the challenges weren’t just with our network Geoff explains. “Then there was the tripping of Tranpowers 110kV circuits into Oamaru. What we didn’t know for some time was that one of the structures at the Waitaki river had failed and the 110kV line ended up in the river.”
“From here we dispatched crews to various areas of the Network and had 3 helicopters airborne to get a full assessment of the damage, and to carry out switching in the inaccessible areas that we couldn’t get 4WD vehicles into“ Geoff recalls.
“In reflection, I’m proud of the way our teams banded together and completed the repairs in challenging conditions over the following days and weeks. We achieved restoration to all Network Waitaki customers within 1 week, which in hindsight was a fantastic achievement considering the damage and destruction the snowstorm delivered. Not only that, once we had our back yard sorted, we spent the next 2 weeks solid, helping our neighbors at Alpine, whose system which had sustained significantly more damage than our own.”
“I always think back on this fondly, with great memories of the challenging times in the field and the teamwork and comradery of the Network operations team and our line mechanics alike.”
📷 The photo with the bulldozer is of Bruce Rowlands (in the dozer) and Dave Nicolson clearing snow in the Hakataramea Valley. The crane truck, #95, was new and was definitely put through its paces… The truck is still in operation, but it’s been a long time since it’s seen snow like that!
