Roads reopen after snow traps Lindis Pass motorists for more than three hours

Thursday, 25 June 2026

The view from Kerryn and Pippa Riley’s vehicle, where they’ve been stuck in Lindis pass for three hours and counting.

Roads have reopened after snow closed routes in parts of the South Island, caused vehicles to get stuck and forced the closure of two Otago schools – but the wintry blast is heading to Canterbury next.

Kerryn Riley and her daughter Pippa were stuck in the Lindis Pass (State Highway 8) about 45 minutes out of Wānaka for more than three hours alongside about 15 other vehicles, including two big trucks.

“We’re just about talking to the walls now … just patiently waiting,” Pippa said.

A truck got stuck in snow on the Lindis Pass (SH8), pictured at 9am on Thursday looking towards the Summit Lookout.

They had debated whether to keep the car running for heat.

“Mum’s decided to conserve fuel,” she said. “But it’s freezing.”

Riley packed muesli bars and a Thermos full of tea, which, unfortunately, was empty by the third hour.

An NZTA contractor with a snow plough at the ready for snowfalls in Canterbury.

The pair are heading north to Canterbury – where the snow is heading next.

MetService issued road snowfall warnings for Lewis Pass (SH7), Arthur’s Pass (SH73), and Porters Pass (SH73) starting at lunchtime Thursday and into the night. Snow could be expected as low as 400m.

“A strong southerly wind is pushing up the South Island while a big blob of rain comes down from the north, creating a combination that’s a bit of a mess,” MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said.

Mt Hutt snow cams mid morning on Thursday as the Southerly front pushes towards the Canterbury passes.

“It’s all sort of related to the low-pressure system spinning around.”

The warnings come after snow forced the closure of Lindis Pass between Ōmarama and Tarras on Thursday morning before reopening just after 1pm. A section of the Crown Range Rd that was shut and SH85 between Lauder and Wedderburn in Otago have also now reopened.

With the weather system moving up the South Island, warnings for snow and ice are now in place for SH8 between Fairlie and Twizel and SH80 between Lake Pukaki and Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Roads through Arthur’s Pass have not had the snow dumping forecasters expected. (File photo)

NZTA confirmed several freight and stock trucks got stuck in snow on the Lindis Pass, which was under a snowfall warning from 8am to 2pm on Thursday.

At least one motorist was helped by another driver, and others were waiting at the roadside late morning for contractors to clear the road so they could continue their journeys.

Two primary schools – Arrowtown, and Garston in Southland – announced on Facebook they would be closed due to weather conditions, with school buses not operating.

MetService meteorologist Braydon White described it as a “decent dumping” for the Otago and Southland passes.

A run of wintry weather hit the central South Island this week, with icy roads and freezing fog causing headaches for drivers in the Mackenzie Basin and around Burkes Pass in recent days.

It came after Christchurch recorded its hottest June day on record, hitting 25.1C on Saturday amid gale-force nor’westers.

Those same winds stripped Mt Hutt’s thin snow base bare, forcing the skifield to delay its opening for a second time.

Mt Hutt is targeting a Saturday opening.

Christchurch is set for a high temperature of 8C on both Thursday and Friday, with lows of 3C and 4C.