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Snow and ice conditions have caused widespread power outages in eastern Southland and the Catlins, along with road closures throughout Southland.
Southern Secret Motel owner Craig Johnston says there is about three inches of snow near sea level in the Caitlins.
Johnston said one of his neighbors had been skiing on the road earlier that day.
“I haven’t seen that before. It’s pretty funny. “
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Monique Spiekstra / Supplied
The picturesque view in Manapouri on Tuesday morning.
He had guests who were unable to leave as scheduled on Monday because their flights were canceled.
They probably wouldn’t be able to leave Tuesday either, Johnston said, as the Papatowai Highway was covered in snow.
His motel faced the freeway and he had only seen two 4WD vehicles on the road Tuesday morning. “There isn’t a lot of traffic, that’s for sure.”
The area typically saw this amount of snow every three years or so, he said.
The Johnston motel was one of the properties affected by a power outage Tuesday morning, but it was finished in less than an hour, he said.
Kavinda Herath / Things
Conrad Saunders 7 and Charlotte Saunders 5 playing in the snow at Winton on Tuesday morning.
PowerNet said that severe weather conditions had caused power outages in Curio Bay, Halane, Niagra, Quarry Hills, Tokanui, Waikawa and Waikawa Valley.
Services were expected to be fully restored by noon, a spokesperson said.
George Osmers, of Dunedin, was at the end of a seven-day trip down the Southern Scenic Route, but was stuck in Papatowai.
He had been walking and was glad he was no longer out in the cold.
“Nobody likes being hypothermic,” Osmers joked.
He expected the road to Balclutha to be clear Tuesday night.
George Osmers / Supplied
George Osmers captured this photo in Papatowai, where he was trapped until the roads were cleared.
Stewart Island resident Sue Ford said the island was experiencing something of a blizzard Tuesday afternoon.
She was looking at the snow from the comfort of her home, but had been reading on her deck in the sun earlier in the day.
“We’ve had these glorious patches of sunshine,” Ford said, but by noon it was snowing heavily.
Bruce Yates / Supplied
Oban on Stewart Island was covered in snow Tuesday morning.
Kaka Point resident Lisa Biginato had been living in the area for more than 22 years and said she had never seen as much snow as Tuesday.
“It has been relentless. Today and last night, ”he said.
While snowfall was not a regular occurrence at Kaka Point, it did occur from time to time, yet the amount of snow that had fallen in a short space of time was surprising, Biginato said.
He could usually see Nugget Point from his home, he said, but by Tuesday his view had been replaced by a solid gray sky.
Gavin White / Supplied
Snow fell to sea level at Shanks Bush near Papatowai in the Catlins on Tuesday.
Mairi Dickson of Waikaia said it was a huge shock to wake up to 5 inches of snow on her deck Tuesday morning.
It was unusual for Southland to have so much snow, he said. The wind was kicking up settled snow, causing white waves, Dickson said.
“It’s actually quite beautiful.”
The Waka Kotahi NZ transportation agency reported Tuesday morning that Southlan residents should stay off the roads whenever possible.
The Southland and Gore district councils echoed his advice.
Many of the roads closed due to heavy snowfall had been reopened in the afternoon, but SH93 from Clinton to Mataura and Milford Road remained closed.
Barry Harcourt / Stuff
A lamb hugs its mother in an attempt to keep warm after a second night of snowfall near Te Anau.
Waka Kotahi Milford Road Alliance Manager Kevin Thompson said Milford Road (SH94) was open to Hollyford but avalanche control work would be needed in alpine areas.
This was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, depending on the weather, he said, with the goal of reopening the road as soon as possible.
The Te Anau basin was in fairly good weather Tuesday morning, with light snow overnight, Thompson said.
Most of it had melted around 9 a.m., he added.
Weather advisories were in place for most of the Northern Southland, Eastern Southland, and Otago.
Air New Zealand canceled flights between Christchurch and Invercargill on Tuesday morning.
The afternoon flights went as planned.
Amber Joyce / Supplied
The brother duo, Noah, 4, and Pippa Joyce, 7, from Otautau, play in the snow in their backyard with their pet Annie.
