The lower South Island has been hit by a second early snowstorm, dumping up to 30 centimetres in central Otago.
It started late yesterday afternoon and didn't let up until lunchtime today, closing several highways and creating the usual mayhem on the roads.
The snow on the hills in Queenstown is just as bad, but it was Arrowtown that copped it the worst. A black American SUV needed a good old Kiwi push to get out of trouble, the winter best catching everyone by surprise.
At Lake Hayes Estate, 1000 homes went without power for three hours at breakfast, leaving them in the cold.
By morning tea time the big dig was well underway, clearing the station to get trucks out. A snow plough led the charge down Arrowtown's main street, assisted by a Bobcat. Then the shovels came out.
"It's really good," says shopkeeper Mimi Manson. "We just had some guys clear the path here, the guys from the fire brigade – really helpful."
Help from the Fire Service volunteers is vital – going street to street, door to door, helping out elderly residents stuck inside.
"Oh they are wonderful, and every time it snows they turn up like this so you can get out of the house," says resident Shirley Foster.
"We have got 20 on the list of local elderly that we deal with," says Murray Forward of the Arrowtown Fire Service. "It shouldn't take too long."
Arrowtown resident Leroy Mullings says the snow hasn't been this bad since the late '90s, when the snow stayed around for six weeks. They will be hoping this storm doesn't, even if it does make for pretty photos.
Further south, the polar blast also caused headaches around Dunedin. Snow forced the closure of schools and roads in and out of the city, leaving some truckies stranded overnight.
The snow came in fast but this time authorities were ready, closing Dunedin's northern motorway last night before anyone came to grief.
"You're better off having your truck in one piece than in no pieces," says truckie Peter McMillan.
Mr McMillan and fellow truckie Robert Hedley are both spending a cold night on the side of the road.
"I'm an inter-island driver so I do Auckland to Christchurch mainly, but this little snap has caught me out a little bit," says Mr Hedley.
But he came south prepared.
"Got the blankets and got the food in there and the little cooker in there, so it's actually quite good."
They weren't alone. Several commuters were also forced to wait until the road reopened at lunchtime.
Back in the city, signs of last night's big storm were visible, with strong winds proving too much for a chimney at Forbury Park.
Crews battled the elements to restore power after lightning struck transformers overnight, leaving many without electricity.
"There was a huge light flash and a huge bang afterwards, and I wasn't really sure what it was, but I looked outside and it was just all black all over," says resident Chelsea Whittaker.
It didn't brighten up much during the day either, finding somewhere warm to shelter becoming a priority for all.
3 News
source: newshub archive
