>>>Good for you... I haven't been to SA lately, but I still think of it as the country I would prefer to move to.
>>>Was only recently shaken after hearing that in New Zealand you can ski on some volcanos...
>>
>>Have you been to NZ? It is the most beautiful of the places I have been to. OK, Hawaii and the Big Sur coast of California are in the discussion, but among the places I have been it is amazing. And really terrific people.
>
>No, not yet. Previously I had envisioned weather/possibilities more in the California range, with more nature,
>but when skiing was told that they had at least 3 ski areas as well...

There are quite a few ski resorts in the so-called "southern Alps" on the South Island. Here is one link.

http://www.newzealand.com/us/article/best-places-to-ski-in-new-zealand/

If you happen to get down to the Queenstown area, a trip to Milford Sound is not to be missed. Truly spectacular natural beauty. Another link --

https://www.google.com/search?q=milford+sound+photos&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

As you know, winter for them is summer for us.