Icy Conditions Play Havoc on the Roads

Chilly night for trapped truckies 22 June 2006

By MICHAEL CUMMINGS

Four trucks stranded on the Desert Road were freed about 7.30 this morning. The trucks and their drivers had been snowed in overnight in freezing conditions. The road was still closed this morning. Transit New Zealand snow ploughs were needed to clear the road so the trucks could be freed, Constable James Dempsey of Taihape police said this morning. "What they do is basically carve a route out for them to convoy out," Const Dempsey said.

The trucks were stranded near the stretch of road referred to as Suicide Bridge, he said.
The weather was "not the best" on the Desert Road, Const Dempsey said.
One Waiouru cafe owner said snow was still falling about 8am. "It's snowing at the moment but you kind of get used to it after a while," he said. It was unclear when the Desert Road would be reopened.

In the South, as many as 30-40 cars were involved in accidents throughout Dunedin as drivers were unable to control their cars due to the icy conditions on the way to work this morning. Many motorist lost control of their cars and hit other cars or lamp posts. In Queenstown, a Malaysian tourist had their van overtuned due to unfamiliarity in driving on icy roads.