'Frosty the snowman' pops up in Meeanee

(L-R) Ruby and Erica McKnight spent yesterday afternoon building 'Frosty the Snowman' outside their Meeanee home after fetching snow from the Napier Taupo Rd. Photo/Duncan Brown

A 1.82m snowman stopped locals in their tracks at the weekend after a family brought back a trailer-load of snow from the Napier-Taupo Rd.

The icy figure, fondly named Frosty the Snowman, was built by the McKnight family who travelled about 100km down SH5 in search of a good dumping of snow on Saturday.

Rick and Kate McKnight, accompanied by their daughters Erica, Ruby and Olivia, have since fielded many surprised looks and questions after Frosty appeared on their front lawn in Meeanee.

When asked why the family built the snowman, Mrs McKnight said "Why not?"

"It's something cool for the kids to do and living in Hawke's Bay you don't get much snow here, she said.

This isn't the first time the McKnight family have brought the snow to their home to play; they did it two years ago and attempted last year when the Napier-Taupo Rd was closed.

Mrs McKnight said their first snowman was built out the back of their property but they ran into problems when their labrador kept eating the snowman's carrot nose.

"This year's snowman is out the gate and cars have been stopping all day and night. One lady said she did a double take when she saw it and drove around the block to look again."

She said her daughters, who were accompanied by a friend on Saturday's mission, thoroughly enjoyed building the snowman.

"It really puts a smile on people's faces. It's quirky and quite bizarre really.

"We didn't realise it would create such a storm in a teacup," she laughed.

Ruby, 17 years old, said "tons" of people were stopping and asking what they were doing during the build on Saturday.

"We just told them were just building a snowman!" she said.

Mrs McKnight said while you don't expect to see a snowman in Hawke's Bay, Frosty is beginning to melt, and fast, under the heat of the Hawke's Bay sun.

The kids put large pebbles on his front for buttons and the sunshine is making them drop off."

"He might last three or four days yet though," she said.