It was the coldest start to a day so far this year, with forecasters reporting temperatures well into the negatives across the South Island.
Lake Tekapo took the honour of the chilliest, dipping to -7.5c on Thursday morning, according to NIWA.
Middlemarch, Cass, Ranfurly and Lauder also made the list of the top cold spots.
But as cold as it was, NIWA says Friday and Saturday will be colder.
Auckland dropped to 2.6c overnight but will go as low as 1c in parts on Thursday night into Friday morning.
COLD BLAST CELEBRATED ON THE SKI FIELDS
The operators of Cardrona and Treble Cone ski fields near Queenstown have welcomed the chill, saying, "Happy cold blast day!".
Cardrona General Manager Laura Hedley said a fresh blanket of snow was a "welcome surprise" this morning as they gear up for the 2024 season.
"The cool temps and arrival of snow has us all holding out for opening day on June 15. We can't wait to welcome guests up again and share the excitement we’re all feeling for the first snowfall."
COLDER DAYS TO COME
Earlier this week, MetService warned Kiwis to "grab the blankets and hot chocolate" with icy weather set to chill parts of the country.
In a forecast video shared to YouTube on Wednesday, meteorologist John Law warned a polar blast is on its way, bringing the risk of snowfall to higher passes across the South Island.
A northbound front is set to bring cloudy conditions and wet weather to Canterbury as of Wednesday night, with the High Country expected to see snowfall down to about 500 to 600 metres.
"That's low enough to impact places like the Crown Range Rd this afternoon - Porters Pass, Lewis Pass, Arthur's Pass - so there are some road snowfall warnings," he said.
A southerly change is then en route to Wellington, possibly spelling high winds for the capital overnight.
Cloudy, wet weather could also be on the cards for the lower half of the North Island as of Thursday morning - so Wellingtonians, think about bringing in the laundry this evening.
Auckland, Northland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty may escape the cloud, but that means cooler temperatures overnight, he warned - prompting MetService to urge locals to bring out the extra blankets.
