But it was better news in Dunedin and Invercargill, with both airports reopening yesterday.
Air New Zealand flights at Dunedin International Airport resumed at 3.50pm. The airport had been closed on Thursday evening.
Air New Zealand operations and safety general manager and chief pilot Captain David Morgan said the airline was in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority and New Zealand Airways in an attempt to expand the airspace around Queenstown Airport so flights could resume on a lower, controlled flight path.
The aviation industry would be notified of the result this morning. If the contingency move was successful, flights could restart by this afternoon. If not, it might be tomorrow.
The airline cancelled its flights in and out of the airport late yesterday morning.
"The nature of terrain and the shape of the airspace meant we couldn't stay in control with the ash cloud being as low as it was," he said.
On Wednesday night, the ash cloud was as low as 3048m.
Qantas said last night it was resuming flights to and from Queenstown, Auckland and Wellington from today.
Air NZ spokeswoman Marie Hosking said about 5000 people were affected nationwide by the cancellations and the airline was working to catch up with flights.
"We'll accommodate the people from the cancelled flights as seats become available," she said.
Further disruptions are possible, with the MetService saying yesterday it was not possible to estimate how much longer the volcanic ash clouds would affect New Zealand, as the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano was still belching out ash.
Mr Morgan said the ash problem could be ongoing and the commercial aviation industry was now taking a "long-term view" of the volcanic ash clouds.
"This thing could stay around for quite some time - this could be very problematic. The industry is looking at what that means for operation in terms of the ash cloud's fluctuations." GNS Science volcanic geologist Graham Leonard said nobody was forecasting an immediate stop to any activity but the type of eruption was "typically capable of going on for at least weeks, if not months".
CAA meteorological manager Peter Lechner said a second ash cloud had lowered across the east coast of the South Island to about 3048m from about 4572m.
A small aircraft needed to cruise between 5486.4m and 6705.6m, and a jet aircraft between 8534.4m and 9753.6m, he said.
Qantas, its budget subsidiary Jetstar and Pacific Blue cancelled flights earlier this week.
Air New Zealand had continued flying at lower altitudes and on alternative routes until yesterday.
The Highlanders' travel plans had to be rejigged yesterday after their 9.45am flight to Auckland for tonight's match against the Blues was cancelled.
Instead, the team boarded a De Haviland Dash 8, chartered from Wellington-based Vincent Aviation, about 5.20pm, reaching Auckland about nine hours after their scheduled landing.
Highlanders manager Leicester Rutledge said the delay was no hassle for the team, which would adjust.
The Crusaders are also affected. They are due to fly to Wellington today in a DC-3 for tomorrow's game against the Hurricanes.
The 67-year-old plane, which is owned by an Ashburton-based trust, of which Crusaders captain Richie McCaw is patron, is due to leave Christchurch this morning.
Flight cancellations meant a road trip to Dunedin for the Nelson Giants basketball team.
The side left Nelson in a bus yesterday at 1pm for Timaru.
Today, it will travel to Dunedin to take on the Otago Nuggets tonight.
Una Rockliff and daughter Sallyann Sims, of Tasmania, who were booked on a flight from Queenstown to Auckland that was cancelled late yesterday morning, remained philosophical.
They were travelling in New Zealand with a group of 16 on a business trip and Mrs Sims said her travel agent daughter had been "working hard" trying to make alternative arrangements.
"She can't make these planes fly and I'd sooner be down here than up there," Mrs Rockliff said.
Dunedin airport manager John McCall and Queenstown Airport Corporation chief executive Steve Sanderson were both stranded in Wellington by the delays.
Mr Sanderson said he was "working on ideas" to get back to Queenstown.
Dunedin city councillor Richard Thomson had to rent a car to drive back to Dunedin from Nelson yesterday, after his return flight to Dunedin on Wednesday was cancelled.
The IHC had to postpone its South Island Art Awards judging today, after Christchurch author and judge Margaret Mahy could not get to Dunedin.
University of Otago geography student Nicole Bourke (20) spent yesterday in Dunedin airport waiting for a flight to Napier.
"It's a real hassle, but there's nothing you can do about it.
"If I can't get out, I'll just drive up to Picton and get the ferry across."
Otago School of Dentistry staff members Diane Fox, Carol Montgomery and Maureen Simpson were waiting to get to the 2011 Dental Expo in Auckland.
"It was also meant to be a bit of a girls' weekend away to do some retail therapy," Mrs Fox said.
"We're going to to miss the opening function. But you can't do anything about nature," Mrs Montgomery said.
Airport taxi drivers were also feeling the cancellations.
Mosgiel Combined Taxis driver Sonny Ruri said it had been "very quiet" since flights were cancelled on Wednesday evening.
Corporate Cabs driver Richard Fendall moved to Dunedin from Christchurch a little over a month ago. "We moved here because of the earthquake. We lost our house and our business. So, this [volcanic ash] is a nuisance, but it's nothing compared to what we've been through." In Australia, domestic airline schedules returned to normal, with full services resuming in and out of Perth and Tasmania.
- Additional reporting Steve Hepburn/The New Zealand Herald
