"It's absolutely a huge relief. We are delighted to see snow this low and it's just in time for the New Zealand school holidays which start next week," Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Anne Lockhart said.
"I think it's definitely raised everybody's spirits."
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Constable Craig Bennett, of Kurow, said 12 vehicles had to be towed from the Lindis Pass after they became trapped in the snow. All were freed before he "locked the gates".
Crews were working to clear the road and it was hoped it would be reopened this morning.
There was about half a metre of snow on the summit and about 7.5cm in Omarama - one of the largest snowfalls in recent years - with more due today, he said.
James Coddington, chief executive of Coronet Peak and Remarkables ski areas' parent company NZSki, said the snowfall was "fantastic" for New Zealand, the local community and other southern skifields.
Wanaka Chamber of Commerce president Leigh Stock said the "white stuff" was putting a "smile on dials" of people waiting to ski but he cautioned that "one snowfall does not make a winter".
"On the down side, the Australian school holidays finish this weekend, so we have had some cancellations from that market. But we do have the New Zealand school holidays in the next few weeks," Mr Stock, who manages Edgewater Resort, said.
By yesterday afternoon , more than 1000 skiers and snowboarders were headed to Coronet and the Remarkables, the majority of them holidaying Australians. Early in the morning, hundreds queued for buses to take them to the mountains.
Queenstown weather forecaster David Crow - speaking from his Arthurs Point home where there was 2cm of snow on the ground - said the falls had arrived as predicted, and would probably continue on and off until the middle of next week.
Icy road conditions caused several accidents. A 27-year-old man was taken to Queenstown Hospital after his vehicle crashed on Gorge Rd at 4am yesterday, followed by another man (18) who ended up off the road after being caught in a snow-drift on Malaghans RdTreble Cone marketing spokesman Nigel Kerr said the mountain still did not have a big enough snowbase to open but the situation would be reviewed daily.
"If this snow keeps up, we will look at opening shortly," Mr Kerr said.
On the opposite side of the Cardrona Valley, "delighted" Snow Farm owner Mary Lee would also not confirm when they would be opening.
"It is dependent on grooming. But I imagine season-pass holders will be keen to come up and try the trails, whether they are groomed or not," she said.
The Snow Park opened with man-made snow last week and the extra 10cm of fresh snow was welcome, marketing manager Kristy Quin said yesterday.
