A girl has some fun in the snow in Apiti, Manawatu.

The weather has trapped people who'd travelled to Mt Hutt for some fun in the snow.

A view from Porters Ski Area, where the marketing manager reports there's been an "epic day up here."

WINDY: Malaysian student Jin Sim gets a cold rainy blast as she struggles the weather on the Te Anau lakefront.

THE WHITE STUFF: Spring snow on Takaro Road near Te Anau turns to an unexpected winter wonderland.

A vicious southerly front trapped 300 people on Mt Hutt and is blanketing the entire country in squally showers, with sleet and snow in some areas.

Send us your weather photos and videos. Email newstips@stuff.co.nz

Mt Hutt Ski Area manager James McKenzie said the access road to the Mid-Canterbury skifield was closed about noon today because bad weather made travel dangerous.



"We want to make sure people get home safely, rather than force them down when it's not," he said.



The 316 people caught at the field were keeping warm in the main building.

Those stuck on the mountain include 270 staff, parents and pupils from Methven's Mt Hutt College.

Students had been told it was likely they would be spending the night.

McKenzie said tonight staff would check the access road again ‘‘when the snow stops blowing around’’.

Winds were "trending down" in line with the forecast, he said.

"We'll be letting the parents of the school kids know that they won't need collecting until the morning if we haven't started heading off the hill be 10pm," McKenzie said.

"If we do come down in the night, the kids will return to school and wait for a pick-up in the morning."

Mt Hutt Ski Area staff member Georgie Boyd said the pupils had been "extremely well behaved" during their long wait.



"They ... have been playing cards, building cup houses and even playing in the new snow in the base area. Everyone is safe, warm and happy."



Mt Hutt College pupil Rebecca Spittal, 15, said no one seemed worried about the prospect of sleeping at the skifield.



"We're just having fun."



Ella Riordan, 14, said it was a "little bit scary" when the road was shut this morning, but now people were "chilling and playing cards".



The NZ Transport Agency said the Te Anau-Milford highway had been closed because of snow.

In Queenstown, snow caused flight cancellations and two skifield closures in the wider region.

MetService issued a heavy-snow warning for the area between Ward in Marlborough and Waipara in Canterbury, where snow was expected to lower to between 100m and 200m by tonight.



As much as 20cm could fall above 400m, but intensities should significantly decrease from about midnight.

In Wellington, public transport on Thursday morning has already been affected, with East by West ferry services being cut to just three crossings.

Winds were expected to rise to severe-gale strength in Wellington, Kapiti, Marlborough, the Kaikoura Coast and Taranaki.



Wind gusts could reach 120kmh in exposed places overnight and ease tomorrow morning, MetService said.



The wintry weather was caused by a "vigorous" cold front moving north and spreading a strong, cold southerly flow over much of the country.