The start of the Australian school holidays was meant to be a lifeline for Queenstown's beleaguered businesses, instead that lifeblood has been cut off.
The government has closed the trans-Tasman bubble for at least 72 hours, now those in the tourist town face being left out in the cold after the Prime Minister ruled out financial help.
RNZ reporter Timothy Brown and cameraman Nathan McKinnon are in Queenstown.
