New Zealand's power supplies are set to get a boost thanks to a windy Southland ridge.
On Sunday thousands of people got a close look at the Whitehills wind farm - their only chance before the giant windmills start producing electricity.
Despite strong opposition to other wind farms around New Zealand, the Whitehills project has enjoyed strong community support and 5,000 people took advantage of the opportunity to view the site.
Community spokesperson Sue Anderson says it is a first for Southland.
"I think people do realise that they like to turn power on as well as everybody else."
Meridian has resource consent for 70 turbines but for now is only building 29. Each turbine produces two megawatts and the combined output is 58 megawatts of electricity - enough to power 30,000 homes or every house in Southland.
Wind farms have to run in conjunction with other power schemes but Southlanders will be able to reap the benefits of the completed wind farm and its electricity by July.
"This will mean more electricity for New Zealand and will contribute to the hydro storage in a small way," says Meridian site manager Paul Wilson.
