Brrrrr! Is this the winterless North?

The Far North didn't escape yesterday's cold snap. Alan Hayes, who operates Kerikeri Weather Station, recorded a low of 3.9 degrees Celsius at 6am, slightly colder than Tuesday's minimum 4.1, but while his property just outside the town escaped the frost other residents woke to white lawns, some having to scrape ice from their car windscreens before heading to work.

Mr Hayes said official temperature readings were taken at 1.5 metres above the ground. The temperature at ground level was lower.

Kaikohe, with its higher elevation, is often chillier than Kerikeri on a clear night, but according to the MetService Kerikeri recorded 3 degrees at 6am yesterday and Kaikohe 5 degrees. A Northland Age car was reading 2 degrees at a little after 5am.

School children collected ice off the ground while they waited for their bus at Houhora, more than 40 kilometres north of Kaitaia.

Forecasters were expecting temperatures to rise overnight, with a relatively balmy 9 degrees predicted for Kerikeri at 6am this morning and 13 degrees at the same time on Friday. Kaikohe can look forward to 11 and 14 degrees respectively.