The $2 million SnowFactory freezes water and converts it into snow. Photo: RNZ By Katie Todd of RNZ Weeks before ski field lifts usually start spinning, Queenstown's Coronet Peak has flipped the switch on a $2 million "snow factory" to lay down the first coat in autumn. Crews have started producing snow from a hi-tech fridge-like machine housed in shipping containers that can operate in temperatures of up to 20°C. Coronet Peak's learners and ski play areas were due to open on May 29, about two weeks ahead of last year. Ski area manager Nigel Kerr said the snow factory was the first of its kind in the South Island and could run around the clock, unlike traditional snowguns that needed sub-zero temperatures to operate. "It's turning about 10,000 litres of water a day into about 240 cubic metres of snow, made up of small frozen particles.…