"We are expecting a pretty chilly night tonight - well, the next four nights, it looks like."
Clearing skies tomorrow were unlikely to bring much relief, with a high of only 10C predicted, making Thursday the coldest day of the week.
But there's good news for school holidaymakers heading to the slopes this weekend, with fresh dumpings of snow on both Ruapehu skifields.
Whakapapa currently has a 65cm snow-base and received 20cm of new snow over the last 24 hours, while Turoa has a 40cm base and received 15cm of new snow.
The fields should get another 15-20cm of snow by the weekend - and the skies should be clear by then.
The MetService has forecast isolated morning snow showers on Saturday, but the weather would otherwise be fine with strong southerlies gradually dying away.
By Sunday, the skifields would be fine with light winds.
Today's cold blast also dumped snow far from the slopes, with flurries falling as far north as the western Bay of Plenty.
Ranger Jarron McInnes said the snow fell in Tauranga between 9am and 10am today.
"It was quite heavy but it wasn't settling on the ground .... The ground temperature was still quite warm. It's cleared up now."
Mr McInnes said he wasn't surprised to see the snow this morning.
"The temperature has been really cold plus the wind chill factor. I was kind of expecting it."
The snow also settled overnight in parts of Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and the central North Island, closing the Napier-Taupo Road and Rimutaka Hill Road.
Police this evening warned central North Island and Bay of Plenty motorists to look out for black ice tonight and tomorrow morning.
In the South Island, the MetService lifted its heavy snow warning for Southland, Clutha and Dunedin today, but heavy snows still closed some roads.
State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford was closed because of snow and avalanche risk.
Snow had also closed SH93 from Mataura to Clinton, and Dunedin's northern motorway.
The New Zealand Transport Agency issued several warnings for many highways in the South Island because of snow and dangerous black ice.
WeatherWatch said tomorrow would be the coldest day of the week for the upper North Island, with cloud and showers during the day.
However, despite the frosty temperatures, the Auckland region could become quite sunny.
There could also be showers further south, from southern Taranaki down to Kapiti.
Wellington may get a few low-level snow flurries, between 50-200m above sea level, in the early morning.
If a gusty wind accompanied the snow, there was also an isolated chance the snow could reach sea level.
In the South Island, heavy frosts would develop overnight in Southland and Otago away from the coast, as a ridge snuck in overnight to bring clearing skies.
Temperatures would still be well into the negatives, possibly as low as -10C through Central Otago and inland parts of South Canterbury.
Auckland's shivery end to the week:
• Thursday: A few showers, clearing later. Low 4C, high 10C
• Friday: Fine with strong southerlies easing. Low 4C, high 11C
• Saturday: Fine with southerlies dying away. Low 4C, high 12C
• Sunday: Fine with light winds. Low 7C, high 12C
(Source: MetService)
