SH77 Mount Hutt to Windwhistle between Mount Hutt Station Rd and Leaches Rd is closed due to the strong winds.
SH2, Remutaka Hill Rd, is also closed and won’t be reopened until winds ease.
The South Island is taking the brunt of the bad weather, with most of its west coast under an orange rain warning.
Queenstown has experienced road closures and Queenstown Lakes District Council has advised that the road at the Fernhill roundabout will be closed for several hours.
NZTA had closed State Highway 6 from Haast to Makarora in both directions because of flooding, but the road has since reopened.
Wellington and much of the surrounding area are under an orange wind warning, with winds reaching 120km/h.
Despite the high winds, schools in Wellington are planning to stay open and Wellington City Council hasn’t yet closed any road but has advised drivers to be careful if conditions worsen.
“We only close some coast roads when we’ve got a southerly storm raging,” a spokesperson for the council said, “this time the wind’s northerly, so we’re not expecting problems.”
MetService said the wet weather is expected to move up through the North Island and towards Auckland in the early hours of Thursday and for it to stick around for most of the day.
Road snowfall warnings have also been put in place for parts of the far south on Thursday morning.
Milford Sound Rd has a warning in place from 3am-9am and Crown Range Rd has one in place from 7am-9pm.
