Queenstown's council is advising drivers to stay at home unless they really have to go out after many failed to drive to the conditions this morning after a big snow dump.
The snow combined with ice made for treacherous conditions, causing numerous crashes and stranded cars after vehicles slid off roads.
Queenstown Lakes District Council roading asset manager Richard Gurnell told 1 NEWS people were not driving to the very icy conditions.
"People were not using their chains, checking updates on Queenstown Lakes District Council Facebook page, just general common sense for driving under these conditions," he said.
Mr Gurnell said his advice to drivers is to stay at home and not go out unless they really have to, and if they do go out use chains and check for any road updates.
Mr Gurnell spoke at an intersection where he witnessed a mishap this morning, while waiting for contractors to arrive to put up the road closed sign.
A young woman wanted to drive down the road, "and just braked and slid past me and slid down Ballarat Street". Her vehicle ended up at the bottom of the steep street, facing sideways.
Several state highways and alpine passes around the region are cut off due to snow.
Tourists 1 NEWS found making a snowman said they were supposed to go bungy jumping today, but created "a new friend" out of snow instead.
And schools across the Wakatipu Basin closed for the day.
That meant fun for kids whose pursuits included sliding down a snow-covered slide, and the inevitable snow fights.
The snow hit several parts of Otago, including Dunedin, and also Southland where farmland was blanketed.
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