Some students are having a hard time letting go of summer.

Students play dress-down in the snow.

Spiderwoman at the New Brighton pier.

5 of 8 Jens and Dustin

Spiderman uses his super powers to ignore the cold at the New Brighton pier.

4 of 8 Jens and Dustin

Hannah and Grace feel the chill during today's heavy snowfall in the South Island.

Hannah dons a bikini to lounge in the snow.

Emma Garraway decided to get out for some snow tanning.

Today's South Island snowfall has uncovered a strange phenomenon.

Stuff called for reader pictures of the winter wonderland. We always do. But this time, for some unexplained reason, it has led to a flurry of pictures of Mainlanders frolicking in the snow in their underwear.

The photos have ranged from men striking poses to girls covering up with artistically-placed frying pans.

1 of 30 Andrew Witty Snow in Woodham Drive, Ashburton. 2 of 30 Debbie Bergin GETTING CREATIVE: Maya Stiven makes snowmen in her Beckenham backyard today. 3 of 30 DEIDRE MUSSEN/The Press Police closed SH6 north of Greymouth to most traffic after McLeans Creek overflowed. 4 of 30 Eric Pollock DOG'S LIFE: Gemma the bichon in her Rangiora backyard. 5 of 30 Cassidy, 16 Snow in Christchurch. 6 of 30 DEIDRE MUSSEN Flooding on State Highway 6 north of Greymouth. 7 of 30 Eric Pollock BIRD FEED: A finch feeds in Eric Pollock's Rangiora backyard. 8 of 30 Sheree Snow in Wigram, Christchurch. 9 of 30 DEIDRE MUSSEN A house surrounded by floodwaters north of Greymouth. 10 of 30 Lakya the husky has an early morning romp in the snow in Ashburton. 11 of 30 Chris Hlavac WARM KITTY: Mia the cat is wrapped up warm against the cold by her owner Chris Hlavac. 12 of 30 Chris Hlavac SURF'S UP: Southshore beach was transformed by snow today. 13 of 30 Chris Hlavac WATER'S EDGE: Snow reaches the sea at Southshore beach. 14 of 30 Nick Goodey FUN IN THE SNOW: Nick and Claire Goodey at Sumner Beach. 15 of 30 John Maillard FAMILY FUN: Dr Annie Maillard and Esme Maillard enjoy a snowfight at TaiTapu. 16 of 30 Rebecca Bennett PLAY TIME: Summer Bennett rugged up in Rolleston. 17 of 30 Jonathan Manuel Wintry conditions at Christchurch Airport. 18 of 30 James Griffen Snow falls in Westmorland, Christchurch. 19 of 30 Jessica Hastings Snow in Burnside, Christchurch. 20 of 30 Supplied NEVER TOO EARLY: Jazmine was out playing in the Twizel snow before daylight. 21 of 30 Laura Dowsett PRETTY IN PINK: Flowers still blooming in Ilam. 22 of 30 Laura Dowsett SNOW LOVER: Eli of Ilam loves snow, says the Dowsett family. 23 of 30 Melissa Knott PREBBLETON: Winter landscape 24 of 30 John Kirk-Anderson SLIPPERY: Careful progress for traffic on Dyers Pass Rd. 25 of 30 Christine Richards ASHBURTON: Snow has been falling heavily in mid-Canterbury. 26 of 30 Christine Richards SNOWGLOBE: Ashburton resident Christine Richards has photographed the large flakes as they fall. 27 of 30 Richard Cosgrove WHITE OUT: Snow lies thickly on a garden in the hills above Rangiora. 28 of 30 Richard Cosgrove WINTRY: Rangiora residents woke to see their gardens blanketed in snow. 29 of 30 Richard Cosgrove SHELTER: Some stock have found shelter from the wind and snow. 30 of 30 Richard Cosgrove SHIVERING: No escape for these animals in a paddock near Rangiora.

But why? Has the polar blast frozen some of their inhibitions? Are those in the South simply more comfortable in their own skin?

And why just the South? The lower North Island was hit hard by a rare snow dump last year yet Stuff's typical call for reader pictures didn't generate anything like this near-nude response.

Is it something in the water down there? Are the Southern Men and Women just made of tougher stuff?

We'll add to our gallery as we await your answers...