Photo: Supplied / Steven May
A traveller says being stuck in Arthur's Pass overnight after heavy snow closed the highway has been like a forced holiday.
Steven May was travelling to Greymouth on Sunday afternoon when State Highway 73 was closed to vehicles without chains and he was unable to turn back as conditions deteriorated.
He was lucky to find accommodation in Arthur's Pass village along with about 50 others, he said.
"A lot of people obviously weren't expecting to be here. Little bit of a festive atmosphere in some groups because it is a first world problem," he said.
"Local hospitality was fantastic."
State Highway 73 between Otira and Castle Hill was reopened just after 11am but the highway between Springfield and Castle Hill remains closed with an update expected at midday.
May said he has never been stuck before despite travelling through Arthur's Pass many times.
Snow was above his ankles as he walked to his car at Arthur's Pass with more than 30cm of snow on nearby rooves but the sun had come out, May said.
"Coming out of the accommodation this morning, just looking at the trees, it's like a Christmas scene so you've got to take the positives out of it."
Photo: Supplied / Steven May
May praised the crews who were working on the roads.
A civil defence volunteer in Arthurs Pass Village Chris Stewart said the community doubled in size with an influx of stranded travellers hunkering down there overnight.
Motorists trapped in Arthur's Pass due to snow
Some people had to be shuttled to the village after their vehicles got stuck, while others made it to the village, but couldn't get any further.
Stewart told Morning Report people got caught out because the snow fell thick and fast.
Accommodation quickly booked up, so travellers stayed at staff lodges, in houses that weren't being used, or bunked in with locals.
The snow stopped about 6pm, he said, and it was a case of waiting for road crews to finish clearing the road so stranded motorists could resume their journeys.
Photo: Supplied / Steven May
NZ Transport Agency central South Island system manager Marrk Pinner said road crews had been working all night to try and clear the highway.
He urged people driving in alpine areas to take extra care, have their vehicle lights on and be prepared with water and warm clothes "just in case".
By tomorrow, while the weather will be better, conditions could still be hazardous with black ice possible in some areas, he told Morning Report.
Cars stranded in Arthur's Pass after heavy snow
Motorists are being warned to expect snow showers to affect alpine highways throughout the day and into the night.
The Crown Range Road and highways through the Porters Pass, Arthurs Pass and Lewis Pass remain closed.
MetService has issued road snowfall warnings for the Milford Road, Dunedin to Waitati Highway and the Porters, Lindis and Lewis Passes in the South Island, as well as the Desert Road in the North Island.
On State Highway 94 to Milford Sound, up to three centimetres of snow may settle from north of Knobs Flat to the eastern portal of the Homer Tunnel.
A warning for snow on State Highway 2, the Remutaka Hill Road, has been lifted.