Hawke's Bay residents wake to snow, SH5 reopens to motorists

Residents in parts of Hawke's Bay woke to snow falling at low levels, with State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō closed for much of the morning.

The State Highway 5 stretch was closed about 4am, the third closure in a week, after crashes on Tuesday and Friday of last week. It reopened about 9.40am.

At the time of the closure snow had made the road unsafe, particularly in the vicinity of the Titi kura Summit, 47km northwest of Napier.

Meanwhile, the Taihape-Napier Rd remained closed at 11.30am due to snow, but there was no closure notice later in the day.

Young Waipawa resident Nina Whelpton watching the snow fall outside her home on Tuesday morning. Photo / Central Hawke's Bay District Council

Temperatures highlighted the nature of the short cold snap. In Napier it was 3.5C at 7am, and rose only to 10.8C about 1pm, with frost forecast for Wednesday morning.

Some short-lived sleet was reported in parts of Napier, but there was some of the white stuff in other residential areas.

Waipukurau resident Shani Keighley said she was delighted to wake up to snow falling outside her home about 6am.

"I was just in the kitchen and popped the kettle on and happened to look out the window and noticed that it was snowing.

"It was lovely to see and really, really quiet which was nice."

Snow settled near Puketitiri Rd, outside of Napier, on Tuesday morning. Photo / Warren Buckland

Keighley operates a stud farm on the outskirts of Waipukurau.

She said she had not lived there long but this was certainly the first time it had snowed.

"The horses were wondering what it was about," she said.

Snow on the Maungaharuru Range near SH5 on Tuesday morning. Photo / Warren Buckland

"When we moved here people said it would be really hot and it will be really cold but you will never get snow. Famous last words."

She said there was a mix of sleet and rain at times, but there "was definitely snow" during the morning.

Up to 20cm of snow was forecast on the Napier-Taupō Rd until daybreak, according to MetService.

Snow at a property on Snee Rd in Takapau on Tuesday morning. Photo / Kat Ngaia

Hastings District Council confirmed Taihape Rd between Kuripapango Forest and Taihape had been closed on Tuesday morning due to snowfall.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council did not report any closed roads as a result of snowfall.

The Ruahine Range covered with snow. Photo / Warren Buckland

However, snowfall was reported at low levels across that region including near Waipawa, Waipukurau, Takapau and Flemington.

Residents on the hill behind Taradale, in Napier, even reported a brief snow flurry on Tuesday morning, with snow settling along the nearby Puketitiri Rd.

Printing of the Hawke's Bay Today was shifted to Masterton overnight in anticipation of the snow.

The Kaweka Range covered in snow. Photo / Warren Buckland

The paper is expected to arrive, but there may be some minor delivery delays, and the usual weekly travel liftout (which is printed in Auckland) will instead be included in tomorrow's paper if conditions clear.

There were no weather warnings or watches in place by 11.30am on Tuesday in Hawke' Bay.

Metservice was forecasting imp[roving weather for the rest of the week, to fine weather and peak temperatures of about 17C in time for the Magpies' Saturday-afternoon defence of the Ranfurly Shield against Southland in Napier and the first day of Hawke's Bay Racing's Spring Racing Carnival in Hastings.