While conditions have improved today, black ice, snow and minor flooding are creating delays and closures for weather-weary motorists in Otago and Southland.
The DCC website lists 25 closures around Dunedin, including where major slips occurred in Brown St and Blanket Bay Rd.
Drivers in Clutha District are having to contend with black ice and minor surface flooding as snow begins to melt.
Graders are at work but Waipori Falls Rd remains closed.
Other roads in the Milton/Waihola area affected by surface flooding last week have now reopened.
In North Otago, contractors are assessing damage and prioritising repair work.
The Waitaki District Council (check website here) advises that some areas will remain inaccessible until conditions improve and residents need to be patient.
In Southland, the Lillburn Valley Road has been closed at the bush section because of trees across the road and snow in that area.
Some Northern Southland high country roads are under snow and work continues on clearing them.
Meanwhile, about 600 Wellington homes were without power this morning and some residents in the capital could face a further week in the dark, Fairfax media reports.
Some 30,000 Wellington Electricity customers experienced power outages after Thursday night's ferocious storm, and that number was reduced to about 600 last night.
Repair crews had gone to some of the hardest-hit areas and found damage was ''far worse'' than originally thought, Wellington Electricity said in a statement.
In Auckland, the polar blast resulted in record demand for power, energy distributor Vector said.
Vector said demand ran at a record 1766 megawatts at 7.07 pm on Thursday, June 20.
The highest demand for the same period last year was 1628 megawatts - also on June 20 - while the highest peak in 2012 was 1747 megawatts on August 8.
- additional reporting APNZ
