Nice ATM

Some lucky backpackers in New Zealand have hit the jackpot thanks to an unusually generous ATM in the South Island ski resort of Queenstown.

Queenstown has earned a reputation as New Zealand's most expensive stopover for those on a tight budget.

So when word spread through the ski village that a particular ATM was on the blink, backpackers made a run on the bank.

A contractor mistakenly stacked $20 notes in the $10 box and vice versa and by the time authorities were alerted hours later, scores of visitors had cashed-in - some making dozens of withdrawals.

A bank spokesman says it is unlikely it will pursue them but it is arranging to reimburse the unlucky customers who got short-changed by the same mix-up.