It's Snowmageddon!

Here in New Zealand we are in the middle of what they're calling a "polar blast"... the front's isobars are literally stretching up to our little country directly from Antarctica. The up-shot is snow, and lots of it... and much of it in places that just don't see snow. Like here in Auckland! The last time it snowed here was 1939, so this is a once in a lifetime event. Yesterday when the flakes started floating through the air, we all rushed out of the office and onto the footpath, and then promptly sheltered under the eves as the icy flakes hit our faces. It wasn't snow in the classic sense - more like floating hail - but the magic in the air was palpable. Most of the North Island is covered in white, much of it down to sea level, including our capital city Wellington. Of course the South Island has been smothered.

Here's a lovely photo of a scene in Taranaki, which doesn't see snow in a normal winter...

Image from S. Velvin of Stratford, Taranaki, courtesy of Newstalk ZB

Some of my most cherished childhood memories took place at our mountain, Ruapehu. As a small child I would toboggan down the slope on a rubbish sack, and learning to ski proved I am surprisingly not uncoordinated at all sports (just most of them). There's nothing like the thrill of being in the mountains, with fresh clean air rushing into your lungs.

Do you remember the first time you saw snow? Built a snowman? OR do you grow to hate snow in the winter?