South Island residents woke to a yellow haze this morning after smoke from the devastating Australian bush fires drifted across the Tasman.
South Island residents shared photos showing the eerie haze that settled this morning, labelling it "apocalyptic".
READ MORE:
• Australian bush fires: Out-of-control fires burn across NSW and Victoria as thousands retreat to beaches
• Black Christmas: Australian bush fires rage on as hundreds of homes destroyed
• 'Heroic job': Mogo Zoo staff protect animals in line of out-of-control Australian bushfire
• 'No way out': Oz tourists ignoring evacuation warnings over bushfire inferno
MetService shared a timelapse video showing the smoke's arrival, saying the phenomenon was observed around the country.
The MetService said yesterday that the haze would spread northwards over week, until a front sweeps it away at the weekend.
The decade closed to an inferno in Australia with holidaymakers huddled on the beaches, whole towns devoured, dozens of homes destroyed and at least two lives lost on the deadliest day of the worst bush fire season on record.
As more than 100 fires burned across NSW, in Victoria, 20 major fires continue to burn, four people are missing and thousands of homes have lost power as the Defence Force moves in to help evacuate people.
Police have confirmed a father and son died trying to defend their home on New Year's Eve from the devastating Cobargo fire that almost destroyed the historic NSW village. Another man was reported missing from Belowra, west of Narooma, along with four people from East Gippsland in Victoria.
Fire also threatened Batemans Bay, on the NSW South Coast, with the town now cut off from the outside.
The shark had washed up dead on the shore earlier this week.