Police are reminding motorists to watch out for icy roads and drive to the conditions following a crash on Dunedin's northern motorway.
A utility vehicle rolled on the road on Saturday morning, trapping a man and a woman inside.
Emergency services were called to the crash near Pigeon Flat about 10.25am and the pair had to be cut from the vehicle, a Fire Service spokeswoman said.
Both sustained minor injuries and were taken to Dunedin Hospital by ambulance as a precaution, a St John spokeswoman said.
A police spokesman said there had been several minor road accidents across the Southern district because of treacherous road conditions.
"Most of the ice has burned off now, but there's still some ice in shady areas,'' he said.
"Drive to the conditions, watch your following distance and watch your speed.''
Freezing temperatures combined with steady morning rain resulted in up to 30 crashes on Southern roads yesterday.
The MetService was predicting temperatures to drop as low as -4degC today and -2degC tomorrow in outlying areas of Otago including Taieri-Clutha, Central Otago and Queenstown.
MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said clear skies combined with a cold air mass would keep the temperatures low over the weekend. "It's a similar sort of set-up, I'm afraid.''
However, bad weather that contributed to flooding in parts of the North Island yesterday was not expected to affect the South, she said.
Dunedin City Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Clutha District Council roading contractors would be busy laying grit today and tomorrow, DCC senior contracts supervisor Peter Hughes said. "They're 24/7,'' he said. "We react to whatever happens.''
The New Zealand Transport Agency reported that state highways in Otago affected by ice today were: SH1 Dunedin To Palmerston, SH87 Outram To Kyeburn, SH85 Palmerston To Kyeburn and SH1 Waianakarua.
Meanwhile, SH94 Te Anau To Milford Sound was also affected by ice. Dansey's Pass Rd was restricted to 4WD vehicles due to snow.
In Central Otago, there were hard frost areas with fog this morning with temperatures between -2degC and -6degC. There was a moderate risk of ice but this could increase if the fog settled. Caution was advised, particularly on bridge decks, hill sections and shaded areas.
It was another cold start in the Queenstown area, with temperatures between -5degC and -1degC across the district.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council said areas had been gritted areas where frost has made the road slippery.
Care was needed, especially the Glenorchy Road around Wilsons Bay and Bob's Cove. The Crown Range was dry with frosty patches and grit, mainly on the Wanaka side but care was needed throughout. If heading to Coronet Peak, be aware of a couple of icy patches near the bottom of the access road.
Niwa was forecasting snow for barren southern skifields on Tuesday and Wednesday. Coronet Peak was expected to open today after closing on June 23 due to a lack of snow.
The MetService said snow showers had cleared on the Lewis and Porters alpine passes.
Crashes in Otago and Southland
Crashes reported in the Otago Coastal policing area between 6.20am and about 11am yesterday totalled 16, while 10 were reported in the Southland district over the same period.
One of the worst-affected areas was between Allanton and Waihola on State Highway 1 south of Dunedin, where nine vehicles left the road.
Clutha-Taieri area response manager Al Dickie, of Mosgiel, said conditions were "tricky'' due to light rain making it "treacherous'' and drivers having a false sense of security.
The worst of the crashes on SH1 was a head-on between a car and a 4WD. One of the occupants had to be cut from the car by firefighters about 7.30am. The person was transported to Dunedin Hospital by ambulance with "serious'' leg injuries, St John spokesman Ian Henderson said. Four others were assessed by St John staff at the scene, he said.
A man in his 20s was also taken to Dunedin Hospital after skidding off his motorbike near Circle Hill, and the driver of a truck, which tipped over near Shag Point, was also transported to hospital about 6.50am. Both men had moderate injuries, Mr Henderson said.
Police set up a checkpoint at Allanton warning drivers of the conditions and SH1 was down to one lane for most of the morning while the crashes were dealt with. SH1 near Shag Point did not fully reopen until late yesterday afternoon following the truck crash.
Flights disrupted
Dunedin airport had flights disrupted due to ice on the runway and surrounding roads yesterday. Spokeswoman Megan Crawford said flights to and from Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland were affected.
The first flight did not leave Dunedin until 11.45am while two incoming flights were cancelled, she said.
Winter driving advice
• Drive to the conditions.
• Allow greater following distances on frosty and wet days.
• Obey emergency road closed signs and barriers.
• Follow the directions of road patrol or police officers.
• Avoid towing in icy conditions.
Source: NZ Police
