Snow is expected to fall as low as 300m in parts of the North Island today.
Image 1 of 15: Caitlin Oliver (7) slams down a snow covered slope in the snow in Wakari on Wednesday morning. Photo / Gregor Richardson
The wild weather also cut power to more than 5500 households across the lower half of the North Island.
Many of those without power are in isolated rural settlements in the Manawatu Ranges where heavy snow has fallen.
MetService meteorologist Mark Todd said eastern and central regions of the South Island would continue to be affected by widespread snow showers for the next 24 hours.
The worst affected areas were inland, mid and north Canterbury and Kaikoura where heavy snow was expected down to 200m.
"In this area we expect the showers to start easing later today and the snow level to rise gradually but the snow showers will still persist overnight into Friday," said Todd.
It's good news for the far south where few snow showers are expected across the lower South Island as the weather starts to improve from the blast.
But the focus was now firmly on the lower half of the North Island, as the low deepened overnight and rain intensified across the island.
"We're expecting snow to fall possibly as low as 300m in some places," Todd said.
"It's snowing on the Rimutaka Hill Rd and we have a warning for possible heavy falls of rain and snow falls at high levels for Wairarapa, including the Tararua District, Wellington, the Kapiti Coast and the Manawatu Ranges."
