Power has been restored for most in the Queenstown Lakes area after a cold snap in the South, but contractors are preparing for the possibility of more snow in the resort over the next two days.
Heavy rain and snow had caused road closures and power outages from this morning. Snow had fallen to low levels in Queenstown.
Though conditions had eased on South Island highways this afternoon, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said contractors were "gearing up" for more snow that could hit the region tomorrow and on Friday.
A council spokeswoman said the Crown Range linking Queenstown and Wanaka and main roads had been cleared by late this morning. However, the head of Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy remained an issue.
"There's not only snow on the road but there are a large number of trees down that's going to take quite a while to clear and could take into the night," Michelle Poole said.
Routeburn Rd, Kinloch Rd and Paradise Rd were in the worst condition.
"Because we're now in spring and the trees have leaves the impact of the snow is a lot worse than what it is in winter,” she said.
If conditions deteriorated, the council would provide updates on social media throughout the day.
Power back on for most
Delta crews worked throughout the night to remove snow from overhead lines and began restoring electricity this morning.
As at 5:30pm, the status of power outages on the Aurora Energy network in the Queenstown Lakes area following heavy snow last night is:
Power remains out to around 50 customers in the Paradise (near Glenorchy) and Routeburn areas. We expect power will remain off overnight unless repairs can be completed before nightfall.
Power is being progressively restored to remaining affected customers in parts of Dalefield and all power is expected to be restored there by 6:00pm this evening.
There are a number of isolated outages for individual customers in Queenstown Lakes area. To report a loss of power, customers should contact their electricity retailer
Power was now back on in Dalefield and to all customers in Arrowtown, the Gibbston Valley and Millbrook, Lower Shotover, Lake Hayes and Glenorchy.
Queenstown Airport chief executive Colin Keel said one flight was delayed this morning, but staff had cleared the runway of "slight slush" by 7am and no further hold-ups were expected.
"It pretty much can snow any month of the year here. It certainly would have been a wonderful surprise for our visitors waking up to this stunning winter wonderland. What a memorable view they'll have flying out of Queenstown today," Mr Keel said.
Some schools had delayed start times.
Queenstown ski field Coronet Peak reported having 30cm of fresh snow. Across the basin at The Remarkables, which closed on October 2, some 40cm had fallen and the access road was shut.
MetService forecaster and meteorologist Andy Downs said the south of New Zealand would see the worst weather this week.
Although the heavy rain was not “exceptional,'' it could be an issue for those on the roads and around water.
“Anyone travelling around down there needs to be aware of that. And of course it's spring and we're starting to get the folk head out down to those mountainous areas - people who like to go tramping,'' Mr Downs said.
"Obviously for them, they're the ones that really have to take care because with the rising rivers, they just need to heed the warnings and not do anything silly like try to cross swollen rivers or anything like that.''
- additional reporting NZ Herald
