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Fynn Goodlass, 5, takes advantage of being sent home from school in central Otago. Photo / Carol Goodlass

Fynn Goodlass, 5, takes advantage of being sent home from school in central Otago. Photo / Carol Goodlass

Snow and wintry conditions have forced the cancellation of Queenstown Winter Festival events.

The MetService has warned of more heavy snow heading for Southland, with gale force winds and Civil Defence has urged farmers to get out their generators and start charging telecommunication batteries.

Organisers announced this afternoon that the Lindauer Party in the Park - due to start at 6pm - had been cancelled due to safety concerns.

"This decision has been made due to heavy snowfalls, forecast cold temperatures and high winds," they said, urging people instead to "stay at home and keep safe and warm".

Queenstown has been all but cut off from the rest of the country today after most roads became impassable and the situation looks set to get worse as a second storm is now moving onto the country.

The Winter Festival's Creative Queenstown Arts and Crafts Market, Salvation Army National Youth Band and Bayleys Festival Parade have all been cancelled due to the icy weather.

The Bike Fix Ironhorse Mountain Bikes on Snow has been rescheduled to June 30 while a date for the Frisbee Golf Winter Wind-Up is yet to be arranged.

Queenstown's airport has reopened its main runway and is urging passengers to get in touch with their airlines after snow and ice caused cancellations earlier today.

Transit Otago and Southland regional manager Murray Clarke said Lindis Pass and the Haast Pass were both closed and only one road to Invercargill was open at the Kingston end of town.

Southland's Blackmount-Redcliff Road reopened this afternoon after council staff put grit down.

Auckland is being hit by the weather too with a house near Pukekohe losing its roof and an office down town being flooded.

Fire trucks have also been called out to a number of false alarms after a roll of thunder set off fire alarms earlier this morning.

Queenstown Airport said the decision to fly rested with the airlines now that its runway had reopened.

About 1000 Air New Zealand passengers had their travel plans disrupted and the airline this evening said customers would be rebooked on alternative flights once the weather had improved.

Qantas cancelled all of its four daily flights to the town and two Mount Cook flights were diverted to Invercargill.

Invercargill Airport operations manager Eric Forsyth says the runway is clear although there was snow at about 9am.