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Abstract
Mainly during the period 1991 to 1995, the distribution of coloured snow throughout New Zealand was determined from questionnaires returned by mountain travellers. Forty-five positive sightings were obtained, four from Tongariro National Park in the North Island and the remainder from the Southern Alps. Snow was commonly pink to red but sometimes orange or yellow. During the late spring and summer months, but never in winter, colour occurred mostly as patches in old, waterlogged snow but occasionally was continuously distributed throughout a snowfield. The colour was generally on the snow surface but could extend to 15 cm depth. Fifteen samples of coloured snow meltwater were examined microscopically. All algae were members of the Chlorophyta, the most frequently observed being Chlamydomonas. In some samples, sparse numbers of Cryocystis, Scotiella, Troschiscia, Koliella, and Raphidonema were observed. The algal assemblages are similar to those found outside New Zealand. This survey will serve as a basis for further investigations of these interesting algae in New Zealand.
