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The North Canterbury town of Hanmer Springs is battling frosts of minus 14 degrees which have left many households without running water.
Residents are being warned to turn off their water mains late in the afternoon to prevent their pipes from freezing and then possibly bursting.
On Monday the Hurunui District Council brought in a water tanker to help out those whose pipes froze solid about a week ago.
Council spokesperson Len Smith says the tanker solves the immediate problem, and a southerly change predicted to arrive in a few days' time could bring a thaw.
But Smith says the thaw could also result in burst pipes, something that has happened already in at least two houses in the town.
He suggests turning water mains off late in the afternoon and on again late the following morning could prevent the pipes freezing.
Advice for people with holiday homes in Hanmer is to arrange for their mains to be turned off until the big freeze is over.
