Snow and ice make driving tricky

Snow and ice on New Zealand roads this morning closed the Desert Road through the central North Island and the Crown Range near Wanaka and caused ice and snow warnings on many other roads.

State Highway 1 along the Desert Road was closed at 7am because of ice while the Crown Range has been snowed shut since 9pm yesterday.

In Waiouru, at the southern end of the Desert Road, ice was also a problem with the Automobile Association putting out an extreme care warning.

The Met Service said up to 6cm of snow could settle on the Desert Road today .

In the South Island, snow closed State Highway 8's Lindis Pass between Omarama and Tarras and State Highway 85 between Ranfurly and Alexandra to towing vehicles.

Ice meant a careful time was needed on areas of State Highway 6 through Central Otago as well.

Chains were required on the road from Te Anau to Milford and over Arthur's Pass and Porter's Pass.

No more snow was forecast today for the Milford Road, Lindis Pass or Porters Pass.

- NZPA

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