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Roads, businesses and schools were closed following heavy snowfalls in many parts of Canterbury on Monday, and water and power supplies were also hit by the bad weather.
Snowfalls of up to one metre have been recorded in areas such as Fairlie, while snow fell to sea level in areas around Timaru.
A number of roads remain closed and it is estimated that power outages have affected as many as 19,000 customers throughout Canterbury. Alpine Energy says as many as 8,000 of those are in south Canterbury, and while supply is still on to Timaru city, towns such as Geraldine, Temuka, and Fairlie have not been as lucky.
The region's power companies say around 6,000 will remain without electricity overnight.
Some in remote rural areas may not have electricity again for up to four days.
Geraldine residents are being asked not to use water, as power outages have affected bore pumps that feed the town's reservoir and reduced water supplies to critical levels.
New Zealand Post says mail deliveries have been disrupted in many parts because of the bad weather.
Christchurch Airport says flights are being assessed on a case-by-case basis, and passengers are advised to check in as normal but should expect delays.
A number of roads remain closed throughout the South Island and motorists are being advised to check with the AA before heading out.
Snowfalls down to 200 metres are likely to continue around Kaikoura until Monday night.
MetService severe weather forecaster Andy Downs says the worst is over and the weather will improve over the next few days.
However he says the cold weather is now moving north, with snow to low levels expected around Kaikoura and also in parts of the North Island including the Rimutaka Hill and Desert Roads.
Wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres an hour are also expected to hit the lower North Island on Monday night.
Wellington police say the road around the Lower Hutt suburb of Eastbourne is down to one lane, after high tides and strong southerly winds caused surface flooding, and scattered debris over the roadway.
Farmers battle heavy snow
Farmers in south Canterbury and inland Canterbury are having to push through heavy snow to reach stock in what they are describing as the worst snowstorm they have experienced at this time of year.
David Moore, who farms between Temuka and Pleasant Point, says they have had at least 30 centimetres of snow and the power was out.
Heaviest snow in 50 years hits Timaru
Timaru's acting chief fire officer, Stephen Greenyer, says there has been about 150 to 200 millimetres of snow in Timaru, with snow right down to sea level.
He says the snow is very thick on the roads and on the roofs of many buildings, and many locals say its the heaviest snow fall they have seen in 50 years.
Verandas of several buildings on the main street have caved in under the weight of the snow.
Some local power supplies have been affected with Geraldine and Temuka without power, and occasional local outages in Timaru.
Greenyer says the weather is calm at the moment; but emergency services were concerned that the roads would become very icy as darkness fell.
Timaru's Mayor says arrangements are in place to check on vulnerable people who have been left without power in the cold conditions overnight.
Janie Annear says emergency services and local groups are seeking out people who are in need and moving them to areas where they can be helped.
She says many rural people are likely to be well prepared to deal with such an emergency, but people in Geraldine or other small towns may be less organised.
Timaru District Council says a build up of snow on buildings in Geraldine has caused parts of some structures to collapse.
The council says extreme water conservation is required over the next few hours, especially in Geraldine until generators are set up, after power outages took out bore pumps to reservoirs.
Telecom says some corporate P-A-B-X phone services have also been disrupted in Temuka and Ashburton due to power outages.
Avalanche warning for Mt Cook
The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council has issued an extreme avalanche danger warning for the Mount Cook region.
The council says widespread avalanches are expected in the area due to new snow and high winds.
It says up to two metres of snow has been dumped on the Main Divide in the last 36 hours, making conditions extremely dangerous.
The council is advising against all travel in the Mt Cook region until the new snow stabilises.
Greymouth cleans up in wake of tornado
The West Coast was also battered by nasty weather on Monday, with surface flooding for the second time in two days.
The Grey District Council says a number of tributaries which feed into the Grey River are overflowing causing surface flooding on many roads.
State Highway Eight between Greymouth and Stillwater is closed due to flooding.
However the district council says the water level in the Grey River is still a metre and a half below the point which it would break its banks, and the worst of the weather is now believed to have passed.
A clean up was underway in the town following a small twister and torrential rain on Sunday.
The tornado damaged a number of houses in Marlborough Street on Sunday, peeling back roofs, smashing windows, ripping off a veranda and demolishing a garage.
Rain also caused slips and flooding and washed out the rail line near Stillwater.
Grey District Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, says several businesses and houses in Runanga were flooded. He says contractors worked into the night clearing rocks and debris off roads.
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Keep up to date with the latest weather with the tvnz.co.nz weather page.
