Trevor Ferguson (50), of North Taieri, was heading to work in Dunedin in his four-wheel-drive vehicle when he encountered one of many icy snow squalls on Three Mile Hill Rd about 8.20am.
The snow and ice combined to strand about a dozen vehicles that either slipped sideways off the road - in one case into a ditch - or remained stranded in the middle of the quickly treacherous road, he said.
"There were cars off the road everywhere, or else stuck," he said.
Deciding to help where he could, Mr Ferguson drove to a service station in Taieri Rd and borrowed a tow strop, before returning to Three Mile Hill Rd.
Using his four-wheel-drive, Mr Ferguson managed to haul "five or six" vehicles from the snow over 90 minutes and get them moving again, he said.
"Once I had it [the tow strop] I thought I might as well just keep going.
Some of them were in the middle [of the road] - they just couldn't, or wouldn't, go any further.
"It was difficult to stand up on," he said.
The stranded motorists had simply been caught out by the weather before the road was closed, and Mr Ferguson was more than willing to help.
Constable Ritchie Ellwood, of Dunedin, who was keeping watch on the closed road late yesterday morning, praised Mr Ferguson's efforts, saying he was "a model citizen".
"He deserves a pat on the back," Const Ellwood said.
The road was closed to traffic about 8.30am yesterday, and Dunedin City Council roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring said he was happy with that decision.
The contractor was on site to monitor the situation and tried to keep the road clear, but closed it "when it got too dangerous and beyond the point of control", he said.
However, Senior Sergeant Mel Aitken said some "idiotic" drivers had put themselves and police at risk by going past the road closed barriers.
The road was closed soon after the police were told people were having trouble on it, she said.
