New Zealand growers are preparing to battle frosts in all the major orchard and vineyard regions with low-flying helicopters.

A southerly blast swept up the country yesterday and temperatures are forecast to drop as low as -6C tomorrow morning.

The MetService has already reported extreme lows of 5.7C yesterday and further frosts are expected both tomorrow and Sunday.

Growers in Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough and Hawke's Bay are gearing up to beat the freeze by bringing in helicopters to circulate the layer of warm air trapped above the freezing conditions closer to the ground.

It is hoped this will protect tender young fruit vulnerable to damage in the cold temperatures.

Helipro business manager John Read told the Otago Daily Times: "There are 670 helicopters in New Zealand and 85-90 percent of them will be out on a big frost night. I would not be surprised if there were more than 500 flying tonight, based on the forecasts I have seen."

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