A hoarfrost gripped Omarama on Monday and would not let it go.
Omarama Gazette editor Ruth Grundy was out gathering news on Tuesday when she snapped this picture of the frost that residents first woke to on Monday. She said the hoarfrost lasted three days.
It was rare for the town, she said.
"It looked most spectacular as the sun was coming out of the fog, but that's its moment of destruction. It's like a magical world.''
MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey said hoarfrosts occurred when the ground and air temperatures both fell below 0degC and it was dry and still.
He said it was difficult to forecast where and exactly when a hoarfrost would occur because the right combination of factors was required.
Cold southwesterly flows, with wind, were expected for the next few days, he said.
At the same time, Twizel, the nearest town the weather service had a temperature for, was forecast to have -5degC.
"They're quite sheltered from the southwest flow there and with the cold, clear skies of the area as well, temperatures will plummet.''
