Icy roads cause incidents in southern regions

Drivers have been slipping and sliding on South Island roads this morning - a number of ice warnings are now in place.

In Twizel a large freight truck crashed and rolled in icy conditions, blocking one side of the Twizel-Omarama Rd for much of the morning.

Police said the accident, which happened at 2.20am, blocked the northbound lane of SH8.

The driver escaped with minor injuries, a spokeswoman said.

The slippery road was believed to have been a factor in the crash.

In Queenstown at 6.40am a car rolled on Kingston Rd, the Devil's Staircase, near Glen Nevis Station Rd after skidding on ice.

A police spokeswoman said the vehicle was blocking the southbound lane for a time, while a tow was arranged. The road was clear by 8.07am, and there were no injuries in the crash.

NZTA Canterbury/West Coast has released warnings for popular Alpine state highways.

"Icy road conditions for SH79, SH8, SH80 & SH6. Take extra care."

Queenstown Lakes District Council tweeted that travellers should also be cautious in Fernhill, Queenstown Hill, Glenorchy Rd and Malaghans Rd.

The Crown Range and Cardrona Valley are also "very cold" and have been gritted.

A frosty morning greeted Alexandra residents, temperatures falling to -5.7C.

In the North Island Rotorua was the chilliest main centre at -0.6C, MetService meteorologist April Clark said.

Queenstown wasn't far behind, sitting at -4C.

Hamilton and Taupo were also sitting below zero, and would wake up to "quite a white morning, definitely some crunchy lawns".

"The South Island and central North Island regions are looking pretty cold again tonight. Today, tomorrow and overnight it's fairly crisp."

Bitterly cold gales are predicted to sweep across the country this weekend, according to MetService's severe weather outlook.

A southwesterly flow brings snow showers, which could affect some higher roads for a period over the weekend.

Road snowfall warnings may be issued.