All Bluebridge and Interislander ferries tomorrow have been cancelled , with temperatures expected to plunge as a cold front makes its way from the Antarctic.
The cold front is set to move northwards up the country over the course of today, allowing air coming from the Antarctic ice shelf to impact the entire country.
South to southwest gale force winds are forecast to bring bitterly cold conditions across much of the South Island, MetService says.
Strong, cold winds are expected for much of the east coast of the South Island, before moving into Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay later today and tomorrow.
Fresh snow is also expected throughout parts of Canterbury and Alexandra, with snow accumulations possibly reaching warning criteria above 200 metres in parts of Southland and Fiordland.
Motorists have been advised to drive to the conditions as road snow warnings have been issued for all the major passes throughout the South Island.
Crown Range Road will be closed from 10pm tonight until 7am tomorrow after initial snowfall created an ice layer on the surface of the road, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said today. The road is expected to get additional snowfall overnight.
"We will have trucks back on the road from the wee hours and they will expect to open it before 7:00am tomorrow," the council said.
Anyone planning to travel via the Crown Range prior to 10pm is required to fit snow chains.
Black ice and snow forced the road's closure for a short period earlier this morning.
Motorists travelling to Wanaka have been recommended to use the alternative route through the Kawarau Gorge.
The heavy snow watch also now includes the Canterbury Plains north of the Rakaia River and Kaikoura, south of the Clarence River.
In the north, southern parts of the Desert Rd are expected to have about 5-10 centrimetres of snow settle on it by tomorrow evening.
MetService issued a warning yesterday as large south to southwest waves are expected to spread northwards over coastal areas of New Zealand today and tomorrow.
Sea swells of up to 8 metres are forecast for the far south coastline, with slightly smaller swells expected for the east coast of the South Island.
Meanwhile, southerly swells in Wellington are forecast to rise to 6 metres and last for "long periods" of around 15 seconds tomorrow morning before easing slightly by Wednesday evening.
The forecast swells also led to Bluebridge and Interislander ferries cancelling some services on Wednesday morning.
Showers will be largely contained to the south and east coasts of both islands from tomorrow, with fresh snow and strong, cold winds expected in Southland and Otago.
For the latest information on weather watches and changes, click here.
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