Snow closes Crown Range near Queenstown

(FIle)
(FIle)

Snow has closed the Crown Range near Queenstown after several cars ended up stuck this afternoon.

The first bout of winter brought around five centimetres of snow to the high alpine road. Temperatures dropped below freezing in the closest measurement point at Lindis Pass.

However the weather proved a hit with tourists earlier in the afternoon, with some experiencing snow for the first time.

Waiheke local Jeff Tippett, who’s holidaying with his family, was happy to spend a day in the cold after an "endless summer" on the beach.

"The little one hasn’t seen snow and the other two have only seen it once, it’s a really nice surprise actually," he says. 

Others had come from as far afield as Spain, where temperatures can reach 45degC, and Thailand.

The snow is expected to continue falling on the hills overnight, with flurries reaching 600 metres and substantial amounts landing above 1000 metres.

Newshub.