Wellington: Smoke from the raging bushfires in Australia has turned the skies in neighboring New Zealand into an eerie yellow colour along with haze and a burnt smell in the air.
The smoke first reached New Zealand's South Island on Tuesday turning skies a hazy yellow. By Thursday, the haze and burnt smell had also reached the North Island.
"I have never seen anything like the haze over the past 48 hours," Arthur McBride of glacier tour company Alpine Guides told.
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," McBride said, adding, "The smell of woodsmoke is still distinct."
Read Also: Raging wildfires trap 4,000 at Australian town's waterfront