Freezing weather throughout inland Otago, which created extreme conditions on the region's roads at the weekend, are expected to continue for the next few days.
Black-ice conditions contributed to many accidents on Central Otago and Lakes District roads at the weekend but no-one was seriously hurt in about a dozen accidents.
Temperatures early yesterday plummeted to -3degC in Clutha, -2.2degC in Queenstown and -2.5degC in Alexandra, following an even colder Saturday morning, when Queenstown recorded -6degC, Wanaka -5degC, Oamaru -4degC and Dunedin 0degC.
The temperatures hovered around 3degC to 5degC for most of yesterday, although highs of 8.6degC were recorded at Dunedin airport and 6.9degC at Oamaru.
The MetService was predicting the sleet and snow conditions to ease this morning in Central Otago and, by evening, showers were to be gone from coastal Otago.
A ridge was expected to travel over the South Island tomorrow, bringing fine weather and more frosts, before a northwesterly picks up on Wednesday.
The MetService was predicting frosty mornings tomorrow and Wednesday.
Police were asking drivers to take care when travelling and keep speed down and following distances up.
In Queenstown the chaos began on Saturday night. The first reported incident was a van which crashed into a power pole on Robins Rd, just before midnight, knocking out power for a time.
Acting Sergeant Dave Felstead, of Queenstown, said police received several calls for help from motorists on roads between Gorge Rd and Coronet Peak on Saturday night.
With the roads having a coating of ''severe ice'', especially around Arthurs Point, Acting Sgt Felstead said police then enforced mandatory chains for vehicles yesterday morning.
At 10am, a vehicle travelling south to Kingston on the Devil's Staircase slid on ice and off the road. A woman was taken to Lakes District Hospital.
Queenstown Lakes District Council's transport policy and stakeholder manager Denis Mander said the district's normal six grit trucks had been increased to 10 in response to the weather forecast for yesterday morning.
The frost was not expected to be as severe this morning but the trucks would be out by 5.30 to get the roads ready by 7am.
Central Otago police attended two weather-related car incidents yesterday.
Sergeant Derek Ealson said about 6.30am a woman was unhurt when her car slid on ice at the corner of Blackman and Earnscleugh Rds.
About 9am, two people escaped their 4WD after it slid on ice on the Ettrick-Raes Junction Highway, went over a bank and landed on its roof.
Millers Flat Chief Fire Officer Brian Timpson said the couple received minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to the Roxburgh Medical Centre.
''They were two very lucky people''. A 34-year-old Wanaka man had a lucky escape on Saturday morning when his car slid on ice and went under the rear section of a truck-and-trailer unit in the opposite lane, near Tarras.
Constable Dion Phair, of Wanaka, said the accident, which caused only cuts to the driver's hand, happened about 8am on a sharp bend, just east of the Tarras village.
''[The driver] was going too fast to take the corner, slid across the centre line and under the rear of the trailer.''
It was likely he would face careless driving charges, Const Phair said.
In Cromwell, the continued freeze-thaw conditions caused Cairnmuir Rd to be reduced to one lane over the weekend, because of a small slip, although it was hoped both lanes would reopen today.
Snow caused issues in South Canterbury yesterday, as the road between Geraldine and Fairlie was closed while State Highway 8 (Fairlie to Tekapo), and Burkes Pass remained open, but were passable only with chains.
While Dunedin experienced hail and sleet showers on and off all day, only one weather-related accident, on Waihola Rd at 6.30pm, was reported. However, wild weather around the country meant some flights into Dunedin International Airport were cancelled.
