Communities and farmers on the snow-covered Taupo Plains are being warned they could be without power for more than a week.
But there is relief at last for stranded motorists heading through the central North Island as the Desert Road has reopened for the first time in days.
Unison today said its network had been devastated by the weekend's wild weather which left 200 poles broken, twisted and buried under a metre of snow.
The electricity company was now trying to phone everyone affected by the widespread regional power outage and liaising with authorities as animal welfare issues started to become an issue.
It said the rural district was likely to be powerless for longer than a week.
"This is the worst damage we have seen in 10 years and it's going to take some time to fix the network devastation.''
Unison planned to hold a community meeting at the Rangitaiki Tavern tomorrow for a full briefing on the damage.
Meanwhile, a team from Civil Defence has headed into snowbound farming communities in the Hawke's Bay isolated since Saturday to reach those who have been without power since Saturday morning.
A number of dairy farms have become the main priority of the reconnaissance mission.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management group controller Ian Macdonald said they were working with road authorities, power and telecommunications companies to identify which areas were impacted and where help was needed.
Staff were also liaising with the rural support networks to identify specific issues.
"So far it appears those affected are coping well, however we are aware there are a number of dairy farms that have had no power since Friday and they are a priority."
Macdonald said getting to the area still affected by the weekend's heavy snow dump was proving to be a challenge.
They were expected to report back later in the day on how the communities were coping and what was needed.
The Hastings District Council said the Napier to Taihape Rd would not reopen until tomorrow while there was no indication how long the Napier to Taupo highway would remain closed.
With the big chill far from over, MetService is warning a cold and frosty start across New Zealand again tomorrow.
Last night the country shivered through sub-zero temperatures with Mt Cook airport dipping to -14.1C and the Desert Road -8.4C.
Forecaster April Clark said east coast regions stretching from Gisborne down to Wairarapa would get more snow today. It would fall as low as 500m in the Wairarapa and down to 700m in the Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay.
Snow flurries were also expected on the Rimutaka Hill road today. Black ice had already caused a number of accidents on the Silverstream bridge in Upper Hutt this morning.
Roads in Central Otago were also treacherous with severe black ice on State Highway 8 between Northburn and Alexandra and on the Kawarau Gorge.
Light snow was now falling in Ranfurly area and police warned drivers to take care travelling throughout the region.
Snow showers were also forecast to fall on Christchurch in the hills today.
Clark said there was a possibility snow would continue falling in eastern regions of the North Island for the next few days.
She said the cool air was turning rain to snow in the high country and showers were forecast for the next few days.
