The icy cold weather has continued today with frosts throughout Bay of Plenty and snow on the Desert Rd.
State Highway 1 Waiouru to Rangipo (Desert Rd) was closed due to snow and ice earlier but has since reopened.
NZTA still advises motorists to take care and drive to theconditions.
MetService says a few light snow showers are expected to continue affecting the road until early Wednesday morning. 1cm or less of snow may settle near the summit of the road.
FINAL UPDATE 8:45AM SH1 Desert Rd is now OPEN. Thank you for your patience while the road was closed due to snow and ice. Please continue to take extra care and drive to the conditions. ^ALhttps://t.co/duOcGJC06x
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Central North Island (@WakaKotahiCNI) June 29, 2021
According to MetService, in Rotorua, today's forecast is for fine weather, with frosts morning and night. The high is 11C and the low 1C. Tomorrow will be much the same, fine at first, with morning frosts. There will be cloudy periods from the afternoon, a high of 13C and a low of 1C.
Meanwhile, Tauranga was among several places in New Zealand to experience its coldest night of the year, getting as low as 1.7C overnight.
Today, Tauranga residents can expect fine weather, a high of 14C and a low of 4C. Tomorrow will be fine, with cloudy periods from the afternoon, a high of 16C and a low of 6C.
Today, the weather in Taupō is fine, with frosts morning and night, a high of 10C and a low of 0C. Tomorrow, Taupō residents can expect fine weather at first, with morning frosts, and clouds in the afternoon. The predicted high is 11C and the low 0C.
Yesterday, snow flurries fell in Mamaku and the top of the Kaimai Range as the Antarctic blast sweeping up the country reached Bay of Plenty.
Power was also cut to hundreds of customers in the Mamaku and Hamurana area.
Mamaku School principal Garry Veysi said there was a snow flurry on the school grounds at around 11.30am.
Excited students were released from class to play in the snow, he said.
"We had a bit of a flurry, there isn't snow on the ground or anything like that. It was quite exciting.
Snow flurries in Mamaku. Photo / Supplied
"It is definitely colder, but the kids are still outside playing handball so it can't be that cold."
According to Unison, 382 customers lost power in the Mamaku, Hamurana and Ngatira area just after midday. Crews found a line down and repaired it, restoring power mid-afternoon.
A Waikite Valley Thermal Pools staff member also confirmed sleet had fallen in the Waikite area.
Waikite Valley School deputy principal Lisa Dinning said sleet fell at around 11am, but there was no snowfall on school grounds.
As day breaks in the capital, authorities are warning that the huge swells overnight - "an enduring high tide" - were likely to still pose a threat up to the next high tide just before 9.30am.
Officials say it appears homes have escaped damage from heavy swells on Wellington's South Coast, although waves breaking across the road have continued to throw rocks and driftwood up on to it.
Many in other parts of the country will wake from "one of the coldest nights of the year". MetService said temperatures dropped to below 0C in Auckland overnight.
As well as bone-chilling temperatures, the wild weather dumped snow as far north as the Bay of Plenty and brought heavy rain, hail and fierce winds up to Auckland.
The polar blast dumped snow in several parts of the country yesterday forcing road closures - including the Desert Rd, State Highway 2 near Gisborne, and SH87 in the South Island between Kyeburn and Outram.
We're now past tonight's high tide on the Wellington south coast. Waves of 10m+ have been recorded so far, and wave period (related to energy) is still increasing. Expect large waves through the night, especially around high tide tomorrow at 9:18am https://t.co/qHyE5zhh6X ^TA pic.twitter.com/4BvIYfkmd1
