A fully-laden tourist bus, an Australian tourist and a New Zealand driver were unwitting victims when two families of Australian tourists caused minor traffic chaos, crashing and causing road hazards as they tried to navigate heavy snow on the Te Anau-Milford highway.
A Te Anau police spokeswoman said the first crash happened on Wednesday on the lower Hollyford Valley section of the highway at 2.30pm when a rental car being driven by an Australian man and carrying his wife and young sons, crossed the centre-line and slid into an unploughed snow lane while trying to overcorrect.
A passenger bus, carrying 29 tourists, rounded the bend in a "low, slow gear", the driver attempting to avoid the oncoming car but sliding and hitting it in the icy conditions.
The spokeswoman said no-one was injured in the smash and the bus passengers were taken by bus back to Te Anau.
She said although the car was equipped with chains, they were not fitted.
Police are investigating but said the driver would not face charges.
The second crash happened at Knobs Flat 30 minutes later when another Australian driver, his wife and their two teenage children, stopped to assist another driver who had pulled over.
The Australian man had not pulled over far enough to the left and the car was still partially in the lane when another Australian tourist rounded the bend, saw the parked car and tried to avoid it by veering from the ploughed lane into the right-hand lane, which was thick with snow.
He lost control and clipped the right rear of the parked car, which was unoccupied.
No injuries were reported but the driver who hit the parked car was given an infringement notice by police for following too closely and performing an unsafe passing manoeuvre.
The snowy saga did not end there.
Just minutes later another driver, this time from New Zealand, came upon the crash site in his four-wheel-drive vehicle and slid off the road trying to avoid it.
He also escaped uninjured.
