There were heavy snowfalls in the South Island high country, followed by thaws and minor flooding. There were record snowfalls in the Mackenzie country and also a thunderstorm with hail in Wellington.
Vessels travelling between Wellington and Lyttelton on the 16th experienced a hard southerly gale with a high head sea and snow, hail and rain squalls.
Communication between Naseby and Ranfurly was partially restored on the 22nd.
There had not been any mail south via the West Cost since the 16th.
The Manukau bar was unable to be crossed on the 17th, delaying ships from leaving.
A thunderstorm passed over the town on the night of the 24th.
Heavy hail fell at 10pm freezing on the ground after it fell.
The hail fell for about 10 minutes.
The next morning the ground was covered in a white mantle, like snow. Old residents could not recall such an experience for more than a generation. Hail on the wood blocking did not melt at all and had to be swept away.
At a property on Willis Street hail penetrated the roof and flooded the house, causing considerable damage to furniture.
There were buckets of water in the front rooms of the house.
11 in (28 cm) of snow fell at Molesworth.
14 in (36 cm) of snow fell at Farndale (Tarndale).
The snow fell very powdery and light and was accompanied by a gale.
The drifting of the snow on the 14th smothered thousands of sheep. In the Mackenzie country runholders were employing men at great expense to save as many sheep as possible from the snow, but it was said that the loss would run into thousands. In many instances there were literally layers of sheep in the snow, as the stronger ones climbed on top and the weaker ones were smothered. There was likely to be almost a total loss of sheep in some quarters.
Old residents in the Mackenzie country said that the fall of snow was the deepest known for a single fall by about 9 in (22.9 cm). Deeper falls in the aggregate had been experienced (e.g. in 1895) but the depth was from a series of snowstorms. Stationholders said it was the worst snow the Mackenzie country had ever experienced.
In the back country around Ashburton there were heavy stock losses of sheep. In many places losses were expected to be 50%.
The Tekapo Valley and all the eastern and southern side and the eastern part of the the Mackenzie Plain were in a very bad state.
The front ranges around Fairlie and Albury were very heavily snow clad.
Beyond Burkes Pass the road was marked by the top wire of the fence on each side and the line of telegraph poles. Tracks were attempted to be made with draught horses but the drifting snow soon covered the tracks again.
On all sides beyond Burkes Pass the country was one vast expanse of white. From the top of the pass, as far as the eye could see, the Mackenzie country to the foot of the Southern Alps was one huge expanse of white.
Warm rain fell in the Mackenzie country on the 22nd, causing the snow to thaw rapidly.
A run near Burke's Pass was said to have lost some 11,000 sheep.
Beyond Burkes Pass there were only rough tracks made by horses.
There was 3-4 ft (91 cm-1.2 m) of snow on the pass.
The morning of the 17th broke gloomy and threatening. Snow began to fall at 8:30am.
The snow on the 17th was succeeded rapidly by hail and then by rain, accompanied by a strong gale. The rain ceased shortly after noon.
The wind continued during the day on the 17th with increasing vigour. By nightfall a heavy southwest squall had set in.
15 in (38 cm) of snow fell in the Clarence Valley.
The ketch Lily was damaged in the heavy seas and gale from the afternoon of the 16th through to early morning on the 17th. The ketch was off Decanter Rock, between Little Akaroa and Decanter Bay, when a terrifc squall struck from the southwest at about 2:30pm.
All the roads in the Fairlie and Albury districts were full of sheep that had been got of the ranges.
Some rabbiters on Hakaterea reached the Grampians badly frostbitten.
Hanmer was visited by a succession of frosts, with as much as 18 deg (-7.8 degC) being registered.
The duck pond at the Hanmer Lodge had a coat of ice so thick that some residents had a hockey match on it.
Four of the high pressure hydrants in the spa grounds burst with the hard frosts.
The snow in the back country was very thick.
Roudn Lake Tekapo and the Two Thumbs Range and its spurs, matters were very serious and great losses were anticipated.
The southerly gale continued at Lyttelton throughout the night of the 16th and increased in force early on the morning of the 17th.
The gale delayed shipping.
Heavy rain began to fall shortly after 6:30am on the 17th and lasted throughout the morning.
The rain was varied with hail and sleet squalls.
There was a heavy fall of snow on the hills around the harbour.
Around the back of Mt Peel and the headwaters of the Orari River, the snow was lying 3 ft (91 cm) deep on the flats.
In many places it was impossible to get to the sheep due to the condition of the snow. There were places where the snow was like powder and was waist deep.
12 in (30 cm) of snow fell at St. James.
In the Tasman Valley the snowfall was light.
There were interruptions on the Otago Central railway line. The line from Oturehua to Ranfurly was impassable due to frozen snow on from the 16th till the 20th. It was impossible to plow after 3pm owing to frost, so little progress could be made. Traffic between Ranfuly and Rough Ridge was cancelled until further notice.
Many people were suffering from exposure and perpetual damp.
A thaw of the snow brought swollen rivers. Several creeks in Central Otago were in high flood on the 22nd.
Snow fell on the mountain tops around Alexandra on the afternoon of the 14th.
Steady rain fell in Alexandra from the night of the 21st till the morning of the 22nd. A considerable amount of snow was gone from the high country.
The thaw brought watercourses up bank-high and the river rose over 4 ft (1.2 m).
A heavy thaw set in on the morning of the 21st, and a warm rain commenced in the afternoon and continued until early on the 22nd.
The rain brought down a large amount of snow and the rivers in the district were up considerably.
It was snowing heavily at Hyde on the 14th.
The river was fairly high, but falling on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at Kokonga on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at Kyeburn on the 14th.
The Kyeburn River was fairly high.
Snow fell in the Lauder district on the 14th.
The Gold and Tungsten mine stopped all work due to the snow, and it was impossible to get supplies in.
There was 2 ft (61 cm) of snow at the Gold and Tungsten mine and battery, and the high ground to the mine was covered with 3-4 ft (91 cm-1.2 m) of snow.
Only 1 or 2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) of snow fell at the Golden Point mine.
Some of the men had a hard struggle to get out of the mine, having to cross Deepdale Creek by hanging from a wire rope to 2 ft (61 cm) above the torrent.
The rain flooded everything at the Golden Point mine and considerable damage was done. The dip workings were flooded to the top and the water races suffered damage.
Small depressions in the hillsides became rushing streams.
At a Maungatua property there was 2 ft (61 cm) of water on the afternoon of the 22nd.
The second fall of snow was heavy on many parts of Morven Hills Station.
The second fall of snow was heavy on many parts of Mount Pisa Station.
Snow commenced falling heavily in Naseby early on the morning of the 14th and it was still snowing at 10:50am.
On the 18th there was still snow in the streets and partial isolation from the surrounding district, though it was thawing steadily.
Steady rain fell in Naseby early on the 22nd, which helped to clear the snow.
There was quite a heavy fall of snow on the Old Woman Range on the afternoon of the 14th.
Snow fell at Omakau on the 14th.
The train from Clyde could not get further than Oturehua due to the snow on the line.
The Taieri River rose 3 ft (91 cm) at Outram between 8am and 5pm on the 22nd, with a further rise during the night. It had begun to trickle through the gaps in the upper embankments.
It was snowing heavily at Ranfurly on the 14th.
While engines were ploughing through snow on the railway line from Ranfurly on the night of the 18th, the snow was banked up on either side of the line in solid walls 7 ft (2.1 m) high and higher.
It was snowing heavily at Rough Ridge on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at St Bathans on the 14th.
The Taieri River was bank high again on the 24th.
It was snowing heavily at Waipiata on the 14th.
A goods train that left Dunedin on the 16th got blocked by snow a mile beyond Waipiata at 8:55pm, delaying its arrival in Ranfurly.
Frozen snow 5 ft (1.5 m) deep and in places higher than the funnels of the engines, lay between Wedderburn and Oturehua on the 16th.
The ground was so hard that it turned the points of the pickaxes of the men trying to clear the line.
Heavy rain set in in Gore on the night of the 21st.
The flood in the Mataura Borough on the 23rd had a discharge of 570 cumecs (+/- 140). This was the annual maximum flood.
There were heavy snowfalls in the South Island high country, followed by thaws and minor flooding. There were record snowfalls in the Mackenzie country and also a thunderstorm with hail in Wellington.
Vessels travelling between Wellington and Lyttelton on the 16th experienced a hard southerly gale with a high head sea and snow, hail and rain squalls.
Communication between Naseby and Ranfurly was partially restored on the 22nd.
There had not been any mail south via the West Cost since the 16th.
The Manukau bar was unable to be crossed on the 17th, delaying ships from leaving.
A thunderstorm passed over the town on the night of the 24th.
Heavy hail fell at 10pm freezing on the ground after it fell.
The hail fell for about 10 minutes.
The next morning the ground was covered in a white mantle, like snow. Old residents could not recall such an experience for more than a generation. Hail on the wood blocking did not melt at all and had to be swept away.
At a property on Willis Street hail penetrated the roof and flooded the house, causing considerable damage to furniture.
There were buckets of water in the front rooms of the house.
11 in (28 cm) of snow fell at Molesworth.
14 in (36 cm) of snow fell at Farndale (Tarndale).
The snow fell very powdery and light and was accompanied by a gale.
The drifting of the snow on the 14th smothered thousands of sheep. In the Mackenzie country runholders were employing men at great expense to save as many sheep as possible from the snow, but it was said that the loss would run into thousands. In many instances there were literally layers of sheep in the snow, as the stronger ones climbed on top and the weaker ones were smothered. There was likely to be almost a total loss of sheep in some quarters.
Old residents in the Mackenzie country said that the fall of snow was the deepest known for a single fall by about 9 in (22.9 cm). Deeper falls in the aggregate had been experienced (e.g. in 1895) but the depth was from a series of snowstorms. Stationholders said it was the worst snow the Mackenzie country had ever experienced.
In the back country around Ashburton there were heavy stock losses of sheep. In many places losses were expected to be 50%.
The Tekapo Valley and all the eastern and southern side and the eastern part of the the Mackenzie Plain were in a very bad state.
The front ranges around Fairlie and Albury were very heavily snow clad.
Beyond Burkes Pass the road was marked by the top wire of the fence on each side and the line of telegraph poles. Tracks were attempted to be made with draught horses but the drifting snow soon covered the tracks again.
On all sides beyond Burkes Pass the country was one vast expanse of white. From the top of the pass, as far as the eye could see, the Mackenzie country to the foot of the Southern Alps was one huge expanse of white.
Warm rain fell in the Mackenzie country on the 22nd, causing the snow to thaw rapidly.
A run near Burke's Pass was said to have lost some 11,000 sheep.
Beyond Burkes Pass there were only rough tracks made by horses.
There was 3-4 ft (91 cm-1.2 m) of snow on the pass.
The morning of the 17th broke gloomy and threatening. Snow began to fall at 8:30am.
The snow on the 17th was succeeded rapidly by hail and then by rain, accompanied by a strong gale. The rain ceased shortly after noon.
The wind continued during the day on the 17th with increasing vigour. By nightfall a heavy southwest squall had set in.
15 in (38 cm) of snow fell in the Clarence Valley.
The ketch Lily was damaged in the heavy seas and gale from the afternoon of the 16th through to early morning on the 17th. The ketch was off Decanter Rock, between Little Akaroa and Decanter Bay, when a terrifc squall struck from the southwest at about 2:30pm.
All the roads in the Fairlie and Albury districts were full of sheep that had been got of the ranges.
Some rabbiters on Hakaterea reached the Grampians badly frostbitten.
Hanmer was visited by a succession of frosts, with as much as 18 deg (-7.8 degC) being registered.
The duck pond at the Hanmer Lodge had a coat of ice so thick that some residents had a hockey match on it.
Four of the high pressure hydrants in the spa grounds burst with the hard frosts.
The snow in the back country was very thick.
Roudn Lake Tekapo and the Two Thumbs Range and its spurs, matters were very serious and great losses were anticipated.
The southerly gale continued at Lyttelton throughout the night of the 16th and increased in force early on the morning of the 17th.
The gale delayed shipping.
Heavy rain began to fall shortly after 6:30am on the 17th and lasted throughout the morning.
The rain was varied with hail and sleet squalls.
There was a heavy fall of snow on the hills around the harbour.
Around the back of Mt Peel and the headwaters of the Orari River, the snow was lying 3 ft (91 cm) deep on the flats.
In many places it was impossible to get to the sheep due to the condition of the snow. There were places where the snow was like powder and was waist deep.
12 in (30 cm) of snow fell at St. James.
In the Tasman Valley the snowfall was light.
There were interruptions on the Otago Central railway line. The line from Oturehua to Ranfurly was impassable due to frozen snow on from the 16th till the 20th. It was impossible to plow after 3pm owing to frost, so little progress could be made. Traffic between Ranfuly and Rough Ridge was cancelled until further notice.
Many people were suffering from exposure and perpetual damp.
A thaw of the snow brought swollen rivers. Several creeks in Central Otago were in high flood on the 22nd.
Snow fell on the mountain tops around Alexandra on the afternoon of the 14th.
Steady rain fell in Alexandra from the night of the 21st till the morning of the 22nd. A considerable amount of snow was gone from the high country.
The thaw brought watercourses up bank-high and the river rose over 4 ft (1.2 m).
A heavy thaw set in on the morning of the 21st, and a warm rain commenced in the afternoon and continued until early on the 22nd.
The rain brought down a large amount of snow and the rivers in the district were up considerably.
It was snowing heavily at Hyde on the 14th.
The river was fairly high, but falling on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at Kokonga on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at Kyeburn on the 14th.
The Kyeburn River was fairly high.
Snow fell in the Lauder district on the 14th.
The Gold and Tungsten mine stopped all work due to the snow, and it was impossible to get supplies in.
There was 2 ft (61 cm) of snow at the Gold and Tungsten mine and battery, and the high ground to the mine was covered with 3-4 ft (91 cm-1.2 m) of snow.
Only 1 or 2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) of snow fell at the Golden Point mine.
Some of the men had a hard struggle to get out of the mine, having to cross Deepdale Creek by hanging from a wire rope to 2 ft (61 cm) above the torrent.
The rain flooded everything at the Golden Point mine and considerable damage was done. The dip workings were flooded to the top and the water races suffered damage.
Small depressions in the hillsides became rushing streams.
At a Maungatua property there was 2 ft (61 cm) of water on the afternoon of the 22nd.
The second fall of snow was heavy on many parts of Morven Hills Station.
The second fall of snow was heavy on many parts of Mount Pisa Station.
Snow commenced falling heavily in Naseby early on the morning of the 14th and it was still snowing at 10:50am.
On the 18th there was still snow in the streets and partial isolation from the surrounding district, though it was thawing steadily.
Steady rain fell in Naseby early on the 22nd, which helped to clear the snow.
There was quite a heavy fall of snow on the Old Woman Range on the afternoon of the 14th.
Snow fell at Omakau on the 14th.
The train from Clyde could not get further than Oturehua due to the snow on the line.
The Taieri River rose 3 ft (91 cm) at Outram between 8am and 5pm on the 22nd, with a further rise during the night. It had begun to trickle through the gaps in the upper embankments.
It was snowing heavily at Ranfurly on the 14th.
While engines were ploughing through snow on the railway line from Ranfurly on the night of the 18th, the snow was banked up on either side of the line in solid walls 7 ft (2.1 m) high and higher.
It was snowing heavily at Rough Ridge on the 14th.
It was snowing heavily at St Bathans on the 14th.
The Taieri River was bank high again on the 24th.
It was snowing heavily at Waipiata on the 14th.
A goods train that left Dunedin on the 16th got blocked by snow a mile beyond Waipiata at 8:55pm, delaying its arrival in Ranfurly.
Frozen snow 5 ft (1.5 m) deep and in places higher than the funnels of the engines, lay between Wedderburn and Oturehua on the 16th.
The ground was so hard that it turned the points of the pickaxes of the men trying to clear the line.
Heavy rain set in in Gore on the night of the 21st.
The flood in the Mataura Borough on the 23rd had a discharge of 570 cumecs (+/- 140). This was the annual maximum flood.