Flight delays possible as fog blankets Christchurch

The fog which caused disruptions to thousands of travellers in the capital has now moved to Christchurch.

MetService says most parts of the city are blanketed by fog including Banks Peninsula, coastal areas, and the airport.

Duty forecaster Raveen Das said it is possible the fog could cause delays to early morning flights.

"As the sun comes up and it starts to get hotter the fog should start to burn off, so I would say in about two or three hours from now.

"At the moment most parts of Christchurch are actually covered by fog - Banks Peninsula, the coastal areas and inland areas as well."

Dense fog finally leaves Wellington's airport

The dense fog that had settled at Wellington's airport, disrupting thousands of travel plans, has finally left.

The airport is today clearing a backlog of passengers who were affected by the adverse weather over the past 48 hours.

Its website showed most flights were departing and arriving on time, but there were five cancellations.

MetService meteorologist Leigh Matheson said the fog was the result of warm moist air coming from the north east hitting the cold sea.

However, the southerly that was pushing the fog onto the airport had now gone, she said.

- Additional reporting by APNZ