Weather: Bay of Plenty, Taupō and Central Plateau dips below zero as another cold weekend looms

Several centres in the region went below freezing overnight with more chilly weather forecast for the weekend.

MetService meteorologist Thapi Makgabutlane said Rotorua registered -3C at one point between 11pm and 8am.

“Looking ahead, the rest of today and into the weekend promises generally settled weather with plenty of sunny skies, but an overall southerly airflow keeps daytime temperatures on the chilly side, especially on Sunday.

“Cloud-free nighttime skies may mean lovely stargazing conditions, but that will also translate into cold, frosty mornings for some, and a foggy start to the day for some inland parts of the Bay of Plenty,” Makgabutlane said.

Other centres in the region went below zero overnight with Tauranga dropping to -0.3, Whakatāne -1.0, Taupō -1.4 and the Desert Rd -1.1.

Desert Rd reopened this morning after Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency closed the road at 11.10pm Thursday night due to snow and ice.

The road reopened around 7am.

Several highways in the Central North Island were closed on Thursday due to snow and crashes.

Snow also settled on Mount Tarawera on Thursday.