Originally captured on colour 8mm film with a Paillard C8 Bolex camera.
The footage begins with column of road signs showing the number of miles to Geraldine, Fairlie, Mt Cook (Aoraki), Wanaka and Queenstown. Trees, ground and a couple of dwellings are coated in snow. Views of snow covered mountain peaks, people walking on the snow, mountain and glacier landscapes, a flock of birds, an alpine hut.
Intense orange flames engulf and burn down the Hermitage hotel after dark (16 September 1957), flames and smoke still spread through the buildings in the light of day. Evacuees with some belongings watch the buildings burn from a short distance.