Kiwis are waking up to severe frosts and temperatures deep in the negatives.
Mt Cook Airport and Pukaki Airport were the chilliest at -6C. Christchurch was frosty at -3C, Dunedin 1C, Wellington 7C, Auckland 10C and Whangarei 8C.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council says conditions are ''extreme'' on roads in the area, and is urging motorists to take extra care. Danseys Pass Rd is closed because of snow.
A severe weather watch is out for heavy rain over parts of Hawke's Bay and Gisborne today.
MetService forecaster Tuporo Marsters said clear skies and light winds were the perfect conditions for frosts.
"Clear skies let all the warm air out, we've got no blanket to keep the warm air in so all the warmth just escapes into the sky and temperatures plummet."
Showers will frame the edge of the country today and frosty cold conditions will persist throughout the week.
Marsters said the showers would make way for mostly dry conditions before another wet front approaches just in time for the weekend.
"It's a confusion of systems, it's not clear cut. Things start to get more definite towards the end of the week," he told the Herald.