Kiwis across the motu are waking to freezing temperatures as a cold spell sweeps across the country.
As of 7am on Wednesday, the coldest part of the country was Omarama which was sitting on a bone-chilling –4.6C. The warmest area, meanwhile, was Kaitaia on just 12.2C.
Aucklanders woke to temperatures of just 6C while Hamilton and Rotorua were just 2C and 4C respectively.
Taupō just managed to stay out of the negatives on 1C while Gisborne and Tauranga were practically palmy in comparison at 9C and 8C respectively.
New Plymouth was also 8C while Napier was a chilly 5C and Palmerston North was 3C. But Masterton was the coldest place in the North Island sitting on a frosty –2C.
Meanwhile, Wellington was a frosty 4C.
Moving down the country temperatures got even colder with Blenheim sitting on 0C and Nelson on 3C.
Westport got off light on 7C but Christchurch was freezing at –3C along with Timaru on –2C.
Queenstown meanwhile was on 0C while Franz Josef made it to 6C. Dunedin and Stewart Island were practically tropical in comparison on 12C and 10C respectively.
Invercargill was sitting on a chilly 6C along and the Chatham Islands were 4C.
It's the first hint of the wintry week MetService promised with much of the country in for a mix of "biting cold winds and crisp, frosty mornings".
The forecaster says the wave of chilly weather comes from several cold fronts sweeping out of the south, bringing rain and a noticeable drop in temperatures.
And there are more chilly starts to come with the South Island expected to have the coldest daytime temperatures on Thursday, while the North Island is in for another frigid start on Friday.
