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The North Island has been hit by high winds and snow, closing roads and disrupting ferry crossings.
Hundreds of inter-island passengers were left stranded by the storm and the Desert Road was closed until lunchtime.
When crossings resumed, passengers were warned they faced a rough crossing and weere offered the chance to re-book.
Strong southerlies were continuing in Wellington, with snow forecast down to 400m.
Up to 6cm of snow was expected to accumulate on the Desert Road by noon today.
Snowfalls also affected the Rimutaka Hill Rd on State Highway 2, which was closed briefly overnight.
The Napier-Taupo Rd, State Highway 5, was also closed for a period overnight.
In Auckland, the temperature at dawn was 5C and had risen to just 9C by noon.
A 5m swell in Cook Strait led to the 6am Aratere and 8.25am Kaitaki services being cancelled..
In the South Island, State Highway 93 between Clinton and Mataura remained closed this morning.
In Dunedin, which has been buffeted with high winds and heavy snows for the past few days, the severe weather has finally eased off, leaving a harsh frost in its wake.
Police are warning motorists to drive carefully, particularly around the hilly areas.
The MetService has advised very cold weather will continue to affect the east coast, from the Wairarapa to Southland, with snow to low levels in Wairarapa and near sea-level further south.
Severe inland frosts are expected in the South Island again tonight.
The polar blast last week claimed the life of a 20-year-old foreign student from Otago University, whose car slid off icy roads and into Lake Wanaka on Thursday.
The cold front has caused havoc for road and air transport, closing Queenstown Airport while thousands of visitors attempted to attend its annual winter festival, and shutting down power to hundreds of Otago residents.
The MetService said the next few days could bring more problems for travellers.
Severe frosts and freezing fogs were forecast, making driving conditions treacherous in the South Island and for the central plateau and southern parts of the North Island.
"A wintry anticyclone is expected to cross the country from Tuesday to Thursday, MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said.
"This will bring clear skies at night with light winds. Many Southland and Otago roads are still cold and wet from recent snow. Conditions will be conducive to the formation of patches of black ice, especially in the shadows," he said.
"Airports near rivers and lakes, such as Te Anau, Wanaka, Queenstown and Dunedin will be prone to freezing fog conditions and these may cause delays."
- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB, NZHERALD STAFF
