While temperatures around the South are forecast to rise slightly today, the snow that blanketed the region yesterday continues to cause problems for motorists this morning.
Cautions remain in place for many stretches of highway, including the Northern Motorway out of Dunedin, while State Highway 87, Outram-Kyeburn remains closed today.
Other roads with cautions in place are: SH93, Clinton-Mataura; SH8, the Lindis Pass; SH85, Kyeburn-Palmerston; SH94, Mossburn-Te Anau.
- Check road conditions here
In Dunedin, the DCC website advises that Camp Rd on the peninsula and Peninsula Beach Rd in Port Chalmers are closed owing to fallen trees.
Further afield, Queenstown Lakes District Council advises that the Crown Range road is scheduled to open about 8am; all other roads are open but motorists should expect ice and grit.
After the polar blast dumped heavy snowfalls around the region yesterday, MetService is predicting a low of 6degC today in Dunedin. In Queenstown and Wanaka, temperatures were set to range from 1degC-8degC.
Snow was not expected to fall below 400m in Dunedin and Southland, and 500m in Queenstown and Central Otago.
Meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said while winds were likely to remain strong, with gusts as high as 100kmh expected today, tomorrow would bring clearing skies.
That would lead to significant frosts on Thursday, she said.
Queenstown
About 20cm of overnight snow in the Queenstown area cut power, delayed flights, closed roads and schools but gave skifields a pre-opening day boost.
Power was quickly restored after blackouts in Frankton, Arrowtown, Lake Hayes Estate and Ladies Mile to Lake Hayes Rd.
The New Zealand Transport Agency temporarily closed State Highway 6 between Frankton and Cromwell through the Kawarau Gorge, but the route was opened later in the morning.
A Queenstown Lakes District Council spokeswoman said Crown Range Rd would remain closed overnight as contractors cleared snow drifts up to 1.5m deep.
It aimed to reopen the road by 7am today.
Queenstown Airport's rescue fire team began clearing snow at 4am yesterday, but a flight from Christchurch was diverted to Invercargill and its return leg cancelled. Other flights were delayed.
All schools in the Queenstown area were closed. NZSki reported that Coronet Peak and the Remarkables ski areas had received up to 0.5m of new snow by yesterday morning. Snow flurries were expected to continue today.
• Police decided not to resume a search for a vessel reportedly in distress in stormy conditions on Lake Wakatipu on Sunday.
A helicopter and Coastguard and commercial vessels searched unsuccessfully until about 8.30pm on Sunday.
Wanaka
About 10cm-15cm of snow fell in the Upper Clutha yesterday.
As temperatures climbed, the snow on roads turned to slush.
Primary and secondary school pupils in the area had the day off, but two pre-school centres remained open.
Wanaka Educare manager Kylie Arnesen said her husband, Barry, used his four-wheel-drive to collect some of the centre's 16 teachers who had trouble getting to work.
Aurora Energy workers restored power that had been lost to some parts of Wanaka.
Central Otago
In Oturehua, Grahame Jones, from the Oturehua Railway Hotel, shovelled 10cm-15cm of snow yesterday so punters could get into the pub.
Snow fell throughout Central Otago.
Cromwell got 10cm of snow, closing Goldfields Primary School, Cromwell Primary School and Cromwell College.
Omakau Primary and Poolburn schools were also closed.
Ancient Briton Naseby owner Adrian Hood said Naseby had about 8cm of snow on Sunday night, which began to clear yesterday afternoon.
Several council roads closed yesterday morning had opened by the afternoon.
North Otago
In North Otago, snow closed Macraes Rd, at Sailors Cutting, and Danseys Pass Rd yesterday but Oamaru escaped the worst of the wild weather.
Black ice resulted in a single-vehicle crash on Omarama-Twizel Rd at 10am.
A Christchurch man lost control of his vehicle when travelling too fast for the conditions, police said.
''It was a shady area ... black ice caught the driver by surprise,'' Constable Nayland Smith said.
The the driver, the sole occupant, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
South/West Otago
Snow flurries blew through Lawrence yesterday but traffic was not affected.
Snow remained on the hills but failed to accumulate in Lawrence.
Police and the New Zealand Transport Agency reported difficult driving conditions on State Highway 90 between Raes Junction and Tapanui.
A snow and ice warning was issued for State Highway 93 from Clinton to Mataura.
In Owaka, snow, hail and rain fell, but only accumulated at higher elevations.
