Major roads are open in the South following this week’s snow dump as the storm moves north, but motorists should still watch out for ice and grit, authorities warn.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said a number of ice and snow warnings remained in place for the region, including one for black ice on SH87 (Middlemarch to Outram) on Friday afternoon.
There were generally milder conditions in the morning, though it was still a chilly start for many, with Mr Cook recording -8degC earlier, MetService said.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council advised there were wet roads on the Glenorchy Road and around Fernhill and Queenstown Hill with icy patches and loose grit.
The Crown Range Road was open with CMA (de-icer) and grit applied. Wanaka to Cardrona was particularly “gnarly” on Thursday, but it had been checked and CMA was applied overnight.
The council said a lot of grit had been laid down this week, so road users should slow down and watch out for the loose stuff around the Wakatipu Basin - especially Gorge Road, Arthurs Point, Arrowtown to Malaghans Road (again very slippy on Thursday) and the Arrow Basin.
The Central Otago District Council said roads were open, but motorists should still drive to the conditions and with care.
Truck fire closes Lewis Pass
All alpine passes were open except for the Lewis Pass, due to a truck fire on Friday morning.
Emergency services were at the scene on the Springs Junction side of Engineers Camp.
The pass was closed at SH7 Hanmer Springs and at Springs Junction until further notice, police advised.
