Flights have been grounded, roads closed and power cuts have plunged vast areas of New Zealand into darkness following the country's heaviest snowfall in decades.
Snow and gale force winds have brought the country to a standstill during what forecasters are describing as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Blizzards lashed the South Island before moving onto the more densely populated North Island, with the cold snap predicted to continue until Wednesday.
Residents in the hillside suburbs of the capital city of Wellington were told they faced being snowed in after they were hit with the heaviest blanketing in at least 30 years.
Four-wheel drive emergency vehicles and a snow plough were scrambled after more than 100 people were trapped in their cars on a road over the Rimutaka Hills, north of Wellington.
In Auckland, four people were taken to hospital after heavy winds caused a tree to crash into their home.
WeatherWatch service forecaster Philip Duncan told the New Zealand Herald: 'I've been watching the weather closely for about 15 years and I've never seen a prediction like this.'
He said the freezing conditions were due to a large high-pressure system reaching from Antarctica to the sub-tropics, which had merged with three neighbouring low-pressure systems.
Although Auckland had its heaviest snowfall since the 1970s, much of it was washed away by heavy rain.
Mr Duncan added: 'Aucklanders won't have white-out conditions like Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin but certainly a few isolated pockets of snow are likely mixed with the rain.
MetService forecaster Peter Kreft told NZPA the freezing conditions were 'a once in many decades event' and suggested the country had not experienced anything like it for half a century.
He said: 'We are probably looking at something like - in terms of extent and severity - maybe 50 years.'
Meanwhile, Stephen Fry, who is in Wellington filming The Hobbit, described the atmosphere on Twitter.
He Tweeted: 'It's been an exciting day here in Wellington. Snow. That's unusual. NZ is the same latitude as Melbourne so it's rare.'
Prime Minister John Key opened a press conference yesterday by welcoming reporters to the 'winter wonderland that is Wellington'.
He said: 'I can't personally recall seeing snow in downtown Wellington. My wife tells me there is snow around our house, or at least there was for a short period of time in Auckland, so it's very unusual'
Residents whose homes were damaged by the Christchurch earthquake have been warned to take extra care and check for leaks and movement and consider evacuation.
