Antarctic blast buries New Zealand cities in snow down to sea level

An Antarctic polar blast swept across New Zealand's South Island on Tuesday, bringing snow to sea level and freezing temperatures that led to widespread road closures and school disruptions.Dunedin, the South Island's second-largest city, was blanketed in snow, prompting police to issue urgent warnings for residents to avoid non-essential travel due to treacherous icy roads.New Zealand Police wrote in a social media post: "Police have received a number of reports of crashes across Dunedin this morning, with some vehicles sliding off the road. Thankfully, there have been no injuries."Amidst the disruption, striking scenes emerged as skiers and snowboarders took to Dunedin's Baldwin Street, which is known as the world's steepest residential street. Further north, snow was seen on the sand at