Maniototo schools were closed for the third successive day and it was still snowing in Naseby and Ranfurly this morning. There was about 30cm of snow lying in Naseby at noon and 10cm in Ranfurly.
The Dansey Pass road and Moa Flat road remain closed but the Pig Root re-opened this afternoon. With the exception of the Paerau and Styx area, all the rest of the roads in the district were open but extreme care was advised due to snow and ice
Senior Constable Fred Aplin, of Omakau, said compacted snow had turned into black ice on many roads, so motorists should slow down.
Snow had been cleared from most roads, but some were one lane only, with waist-high snowdrifts on the side.
He praised the "sensible'' behaviour of motorists.
"Those I've talked to have mostly been visitors to the area and I must say they're all driving sensibly and cautiously and all have chains fitted on their cars. They're heading for the [Queenstown] airport to catch flights and they're taking it quietly to get there, which is good to see.''
Roading authorites said black ice was a problem in much of the district, turning roads into sheets of ice.
Forecasters say the polar storm which brought the first snow in decades to much of New Zealand is starting to pass, but there is still a cold sting in the tail.
Predicted chaos on the roads overnight failed to materialise after a heavy dumping of snow earlier in the week, which reached Wellington and even Auckland.
WeatherWatch.co.nz head analyst Philip Duncan said the wintry blast was starting to ease but snow flurries were still hitting parts of Canterbury and the wettest and coldest parts were in the North Island's east coast.
The freezing level was rising, so snow would only fall in higher country.
However, tomorrow morning would be extremely cold and minus 10degC was possible in the Central Otago basin.
"Many areas are still facing bitterly cold winds, sleet rain and even snow to sea level -- but many others are seeing the sun."
Mr Duncan said the centre of the low pressure weather system was now 2500km southeast of Christchurch and moving away from New Zealand.
"The main event has well and truly passed now, but we're still being affected by the tail end, so more heavy snow down to a few hundred metres from Canterbury to Hawke's Bay and wintry, sleety, conditions to sea level".
State Highway 2, the Rimutaka Hill road north of Wellington, was still closed by snow at lunchtime.
The NZ Transport Agency said the Desert Rd reopened this morning, as had the Napier-Taupo Rd. Drivers were urged to drive with caution.
In the South Island a number of Central Otago roads were closed, as were the Arthur's and Lewis passes. There were vehicle restrictions on the Lindis Pass and chains were essential.
Ferry sailings were cancelled as swells of more than 5m roughed up Cook Strait.
Interislander spokeswoman Cathie Bell said the weather above the waves was not too much of a problem but the "lumpy" conditions forced the cancellation of both freight and passenger sailings today. The situation would be reviewed later today.
Bluebridge had also cancelled freight and passenger sailings, said spokeswoman Wendy Pannett.
Not many people were travelling between the islands as the weather had already disrupted a lot of travel plans, she said.
The harsh weather caused some problems in Christchurch, where St John reported two people falling and injuring themselves.
Christchurch lines company Orion this morning said power was out for 60 customers in Christchurch and central Canterbury -- about 40 in parts of rural Leeston, Tai Tapu and Dunsandel, and fewer than 20 individual customers in the city.
North Island lines company Powerco said high winds and snow caused trees and branches to tear down overhead lines, cutting power to more than 37,000 customers since Sunday.
Supply was cut to about 500 customers in Hunterville and Tararua overnight due to the severe weather, and a further 4200 in Wanganui this morning. A car that crashed into a power pole in Wanganui cut power to 10 properties last night.
There are currently about 1650 properties without supply spread across Manawatu, Taranaki and Wanganui. The majority of affected customers are expected to have supply restored tonight, although a small number may be without power where access was difficult or damage extensive.
Powerco network coordination manager Dean Stevenson apologised for the loss of power and said around 120 field services contractors as well as 30 tree contractors were on the job today in difficult weather.
"We are prioritising the customers who have been without power the longest as we work to clean up the damage caused by this extreme winter blast."
Powerco had been working with Federated Farmers to prioritise restoration to dairy farmers needing to milk cows, he said.
