Chaos on central North Island's frozen roads

SNOW and ice sent dozens of vehicles skidding of roads yesterday after motorists ignored police warnings not to drive in the frozen central North Island.
Motorists who didn't listen to police warnings not to drive fell victim to the treacherous conditions with more than two dozen crashes reported to police by 3.30pm.
Inspector Tom Ireland, of police central communications, told the Wanganui Chronicle last night motorists were advised not to travel unless it was essential.
"A lot of people who drive 4WD think they're immune to it. It's disappointing they're not listening that only essential travel should be undertaken," Mr Ireland said.
As a result many of the accidents that occurred "could have been avoided".
Police said 24 accidents had been reported but the actual amount could have been higher.
"We don't know the exact number; some could have slid into ditches and driven themselves out."
The number of crashes was significant because you would expect fewer people to be travelling and for more care to be taken.
Police were checking state highways last night for trapped vehicles after four trucks were trapped on the freezing Desert Rd overnight Wednesday.
They were freed about 7.30am yesterday morning near the stretch of road referred to as "suicide bridge".
"Police are making sure there's no-one in those [abandoned] roads. The last thing you want is someone leaving their cars and walking up the road.
"This sort of weather makes you realise how vulnerable you are in your car. People need to have a charged cellphone with them and try to remember whereabouts they are," he said.
Thirty-three passengers on a Inter-city bus from Wellington to Auckland had a lucky escape when the bus slid off the road at Horopito, just north of Ohakune.
Mr Ireland told the Chronicle the bus teetered on the edge of a ditch at a 45-degree angle.
Police spoke with the driver by phone after the accident and applauded his calm manner.
"We weren't sure how big the ditch or gully was, so didn't want passengers to get out," he said.
Mr Ireland thought the drop was about 15ft.
"We were talking to the driver about possibly evacuating passengers through the back of the bus. If they got out of the bus there was the risk from the cold and also slipping [and] injury as they left the bus," he said.
Passengers ? a mixture of young and elderly ? remained calm. Sergeant Mike Craig, of Ohakune, said two smaller four-wheel-drive buses took them all back to Ohakune for the night. The bus would be recovered when weather improved, he said.
InterCity Coachlines chief executive Malcolm Johns said all roads were open when the coach set out. When the reached Waiouru, the Desert Rd was closed, and the driver detoured through the National Park highway.
Mr Johns said the incident occurred at low speed, when the driver acted to avoid a van which seemed to be having difficulty in the ice.
Another Intercity bus, from Palmerston North to Auckland, was stranded last night in Raetihi.
Twenty-six passengers were taken to Raetihi police station. Mr Johns said it was unusual to have passengers unable to complete journeys because of weather.
Ngamatapouri School, 35 minutes up the Waitotara Valley, was open yesterday, Debbie Adam said.
But one mother collecting a child at 3pm said it was snowing at the high borders of their farm, further up on Makakaho Rd, and about 1300m above sea level.
Vehicles were still coming and going on the valley road. Jock Turner, from the very end of Watershed Rd, said snow was about 3cm thick on the hills at 3pm. His road was still open as far as he knew, and he had laid in plenty of firewood.