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The Desert Road and State Highway 4 through Tongariro National Park were reopened late this morning after sunshine melted ice and snow.
The MetService also lifted heavy snowfall warnings with only light showers expected near Ohakune and Raetihi.
The Desert Road had been closed as conditions were too treacherous for motorists - a truck and trailer having jack-knifed this morning, blocking both lanes north of Waiouru.
Seven trucks which became stranded on SH4, north of Ohakune, from around 3am, unable to negotiate the incline through the National Park as snow and ice coated the roads.
Roading crews worked this morning to free them as the road warmed enough to clear a path.
Black ice in Taranaki meant a number of vehicles slid off the road, although no injuries were reported.
Police patrol cars were out leading traffic as most crashes were caused by people going too fast for conditions, Stratford police acting Sergeant Dave Lindsay said.
"But even in the patrol car we were getting some people trying to overtake us. Obviously they were in a hurry to get to work."
Police attended at least six accidents between Stratford and New Plymouth this morning.
Rotorua awoke to the rare sight of snow this morning with the eastern suburbs and hills behind the airport coated.
Weather analyst Philip Duncan says winter has "well and truly arrived early".
"It's like we haven't had an autumn. We had a warm April but there's been no in between," he said yesterday.
"We are two months away from the coldest part of the year, so to see temperatures this low is certainly eyebrow-raising."
Auckland's temperature dropped to 9C yesterday and the maximum was only 12.
Wellington (max 11C, min 9C) and Christchurch (max 5C, min 2C) were even colder.
Wind chill took the temperature in Christchurch down to minus 7C.
The southerlies whistling their way through the North Island are being caused by a high weather system to the west of the South Island and a low to the east of the North.
Temperatures throughout the North Island are likely to struggle to rise above 12C.
"The southerlies are likely to be around the North Island until at least Friday and possibly even Sunday," Mr Duncan said.
Last night, a large hail storm hit the Rotorua area. Police warned drivers to take care on the road between Ngongotaha and Rotorua where the slush was 6cm deep.
Yesterday's snow also brought some fun for some. Vivienne Retter, a Palmerston North importer, took her staff to the Desert Rd to make snowmen and throw snowballs at each other. Two of them, Erin Dais and Bruce Peters, had never seen snow before.
"I've never taken a winter holiday in my life so I'm rapt to be here," said Ms Dais, 21. "But that might change, though. I think I want to go skiing now."
The wintry blast closed the Desert Road for several hours in the morning.
Workers clearing the road of ice and snow said some drivers had been caught out by the foul weather, and some trucks had jack-knifed.
The Bluebridge Cook Strait ferry service cancelled two sailings due to rough seas.
Spokeswoman Wendy Pannett said one ferry asked for a tug to help it to berth in the strong Wellington winds.
An Interislander spokesman said all its ferries were operating, but some sailings had been delayed.
