KEY POINTS:
Snow, ice, wind and rain that caused havoc all over New Zealand at the weekend look to be a sign of things to come.
The MetService says conditions in the north will "quieten" today and tomorrow, but more unpleasant weather will arrive during the week.
Thousands of travellers were stranded yesterday when strong winds forced the cancellation of flights and ferries and snow and ice closed roads and highways.
In the North Island, the bad weather began on Saturday, with thunderstorms and snow on the Central Plateau.
By yesterday morning, main roads on both sides of Mt Ruapehu were closed.
The Desert Rd portion of State Highway 1, SH4 from Raetihi to National Park and SH49 from Waiouru to Ohakune were shut.
Some roads reopened later, but extreme caution was advised.
The manager of the Shell service station at Waiouru, Cherie Rose, said the Desert Rd had turned to ice and about three dozen cars were stranded in the station's forecourt.
Many of the people in them had been to the annual Mardi Gras street party in Ohakune on Saturday night.
"There were a lot of young people who certainly weren't dressed for the occasion," Ms Rose said.
The Desert Rd reopened for a period later in the day but closed again at 5pm. Heavy wind and storm warnings remained for Wellington and the Cook Strait last night
In the capital, severe gales forced the cancellation of 25 Air New Zealand Link flights, and Bluebridge and Interislander ferries could not sail because of swells averaging 6m.
Interislander spokesman Nigel Parry said about 900 passengers booked with his company had been affected.
Black ice, strong winds and surface flooding made driving in the Wellington region treacherous, and the MetService said almost 100mm of rain fell in the hills east of the city.
In Auckland, the Manukau Harbour was blocked by swells up to 6m over the harbour bar.
The harbour entrance has been shut since Tuesday, stranding a petroleum tanker, a cement ship and nine fishing trawlers.
A container ship due to berth on Friday instead sailed around Cape Reinga to berth on the Waitemata Harbour side of the city.
In Christchurch, heavy rain caused flooding and road closures.
But MetService forecaster Bob Lake said the downpours had done little for the southern hydro lakes - many at their lowest levels in decades - because they were too far north.
But while the freezing conditions made life tough for motorists, the Mt Ruapehu skifields were celebrating record snowfalls.
Spokesman Mike Smith said the mountain had received a season's snow in one week, and people in Ohakune were excited.
Turoa had 166cm - the biggest snow base for this time of year since 1992 - and Whakapapa had gone from no snow to 135cm in six days.
The July school holidays begin at the end of this week and Mr Smith said if more snow fell during a cold front forecast for Thursday and Friday, it would be a dream start to the break.
The Fire Service was also kept busy with about 20 weather-related call-outs in the upper North Island on Saturday.
Aucklanders' electricity use yesterday rose by about 100 megawatts on last Sunday as the temperature hit a low of 7.3C in the early hours of the morning.
Mr Lake said the temperatures are cool, "but nothing exceptional yet, or unusual for this time of the year".
The city could expect its coldest temperatures "when it's still and with no wind".
