A cold front for the first half of the week was forecast to bring snow, rain and strong winds for many parts of the South Island.
Snow was set to affect nearly all alpine and high roads in the South Island, including the Crown Range, linking Queenstown and Wanaka, until tomorrow, MetService advised yesterday.
The NZ Transport Agency this morning issued an 'area warning' for Arthur's Pass as snow has been falling heavily in the area.
Snow was also beginning to fall on the Lindis Pass (SH8) again, but the highway remained open and had been cleared and gritted.
A spokesman for Queenstown Lakes District Council the Crown Range would remain closed this morning.
"Contractors are working to move abandoned vehicles to safer places off the road and are continuing to clear snow that is falling on the road. Assessments will be made hourly."
Alternative routes could be found via State Highway 6.
Roads were wet in the Queenstown district and motorists should drive to the conditions and watch out for rockfall, he said.
"The Devil's Staircase and Kawarau Gorge have experienced some rockfall - crews are working to clear this. Please watch out whilst driving in these conditions and report any rockfall that you see."
A spokesman for the NZ Transport Agency said another 10cm to 20cm of snow was forecast overnight into tomorrow, with a high risk of avalanche.
