A Queenstown woman is delighted to be reunited with her dog who fled as a violent storm crashed around the resort town.
Saxon was found 6km from his home Photo: SUPPLIED
The wild weather caused widespread power cuts and a large slip around Queenstown, with more than 12,000 customers without power on Thursday morning.
Fernhill resident Athena Turner described her dog, 13-year-old Saxon, as "part probably kangaroo, wallaby, dachshund, mini foxy, terrier, chihuahua ... he is a bit of absolutely everything".
But what he wasn't was a fan of thunder storms.
"This morning, we had a massive crack of thunder. It was crazy."
She heard Saxon get up and then he managed to get past the gate and bolted.
Turner said it was unusual for him to run off if no one was home.
She and her wife searched the streets and put ads on different Facebook pages to find Saxon.
Within an hour, her inbox pinged with a message saying Saxon had been found at Fergburger in central Queenstown - at least 6 kilometres away.
"I was really worried he'd get hit by a car because it's quite a big road that he has to cross.
"Of course, we all lost power as well ... we were fumbling around in the dark, trying to find car keys. Couldn't get the car out of the garage, it was just a nightmare."
It was a relief to have Saxon back home and she was grateful for the help to find him, Turner said.