Snow closes highway in South Island, power restored to most in Hawke's Bay
Heavy snow has caused significant travel disruptions across New Zealand's South Island, leading to temporary highway closures and power outages in Hawke's Bay. While some roads have reopened, authorities continue to warn travelers of ongoing hazardous conditions.
Why it matters
Extreme weather events impact regional infrastructure and public safety, highlighting the vulnerability of transport networks to climate-related disruptions.
Heavy snow closed roads and highways in the South Island on Monday while strong winds buffeted Hawke's Bay in the north, leaving hundreds without electricity and fire crews battling vegetation fires.
State Highway 1 between Dunedin and Waitati (north of Dunedin) was closed due to snow on Tuesday morning but it had reopened by mid-afternoon with travellers still urged to take extra care on the route.
Earlier in the day roading crews were out helping people who were stuck in cars on SH1.
Driver Amy Turoa said she was heading south on State Highway 1 when traffic came to a standstill for about 30 minutes.
"It's probably the heaviest snow I've been in, it just came down so fast," she said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in