Fog for a second day frustrated travellers yesterday morning at Queenstown Airport, with cancellations to flights as it failed to clear overnight.
Three outbound flights to Christchurch were cancelled yesterday morning. The low-lying fog kept about 120 people grounded.
Air New Zealand spokesman Mark Street said the airline had put on additional Boeing 737 services to accommodate passengers whose travel had been disrupted.
Roger Hyde, of Palmerston North, said his original 9.55am flight to Wellington via Christchurch had been cancelled, but the airline had accommodated him by flying him directly home about noon, saving him a drive from Wellington to Palmerston North.
Airport chief executive Scott Paterson said although the aircraft had special navigation systems, they still needed at least 123m visibility to land.
The fog started to clear about noon and it was back to business as usual for the rest of the day.
Road conditions likened to "driving on an ice rink" resulted in five vehicles sliding off the road near Alexandra yesterday morning, including a police car which was attending the crashes.
Central Otago police sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said grit trucks had been out all morning.
"But they can't be everywhere at once and you can't compete with the weather."
Part of State Highway 8, between Alexandra and Roxburgh, was closed for about 30 minutes from 9.30am until the area was gritted after rain froze, making conditions treacherous.
"Around Butcher's Dam was especially bad, with several vehicles sliding off the road, including that of a police officer who was attending the crashes.
"He parked his car and was out of the vehicle when he saw his car slide off the road and into a fence. It was so icy, people had trouble standing up."
There were no injuries and no damage to any of the vehicles, which were later driven away from the scene.
In such conditions, people should delay travelling until later in the morning if possible, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
