Due to horror fire conditions there is now a humanitarian crisis on the NSW south coast with no fuel, no power and no food.
Video / 9NEWS
Icy white glaciers on New Zealand's South Island have turned a concerning shade of caramel as a result of the bushfires burning in New South Wales and Victoria.
Shocking photographs and videos shared on social media over the past 48 hours show the impact of the drifting smoke on some of the country's magnificent and usually pristine attractions.
"We can actually smell the burning here in Christchurch," a user by the name of Miss Roho said on Twitter overnight, news.com.au reports.
She shared a video of the thick smoke up on the Tasman Glacier in Mount Cook National Park, 200 kilometres west of the South Island city.
In satellite notes issued on Thursday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology said "extensive smoke haze" has been seen across eastern NSW and Victoria "and extends both northwards to Queensland and also extends from the north Central Coast of NSW across the Tasman Sea".
The stream of haze is associated with a surface trough and cold front, the Bureau said.
"It's not uncommon to have this occur during periods of severe drought in eastern Australia," University of Queensland geographer Hamish McGowan told the ABC.
This time, the skies above New Zealand have turned shades of yellow, orange, grey and brown.
The impact has been widespread and felt in Dunedin, Oamaru and Kurow on the South Island, and Wellington and Auckland on the North Island.
Kiwi actor and comedian Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords fame, said on Twitter the Australian bushfire smoke in the country's atmosphere had given them a "strange sun".
All the way over in NZ the Australian bushfire smoke in the atmosphere giving us this strange sun. pic.twitter.com/KLQ7H4hBIC
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark shared an image of the smoke from New Zealand's Weather Watch this morning.
"The main plume lies over the North Island for Thursday. A secondary plume is covering a few parts of the South Island," the weather news authority stated.
Ms Clark said: "How one country's tragedy has spillover effects."
#Smoke from #Australia is thinning out further today as it now moves over the North Island of #NewZealand (combined with cloud too).
The main plume lies over the North Island for Thursday. A secondary weaker plume is covering a few parts of the South Island.
Reid Parker, sharing a photo of the smoke above Dunedin on New Year's Day, said: "If it's like this when there's an ocean between us, the reality in Aus must be terrifying".
The smoke from the bushfires in Australia has arrived here in the south of NZ. Crazy dark down here,the camera does not do it justice pic.twitter.com/lT7syB82ly
This was Dunedin, NZ at around 10.30 this morning. Photos don’t do it justice, the light was orange with smoke from the Australian bushfires. If it’s like this when there’s an ocean and a few thousand km between us, the reality in Aus must be terrifying. pic.twitter.com/fiZKJmU3h1
Matthew Newton, a @the_chronicle_ Journo who isn’t on Twitter, is in Queenstown, NZ this morning which is blanked with thick smoke from Australia’s bushfires. The second is what the view is supposed to look like (from a slightly higher spot). pic.twitter.com/fR2aeBqI2u
