Fire crews had to fight their way through snow and fallen trees to a burning house in the Turakina Valley.
Taihape volunteer firefighters were called to the Turakina Valley Rd fire at 10.10pm on Friday - and it took them 40 minutes to get to the house, even though they could see the flames from five kilometres away.
Electricity in the area was off after the heavy dump of snow earlier in the week, and the fire - which destroyed the large house - may have been caused by a candle burning in a bedroom.
Taihape station officer Mike Collings said the crew drove north, turned west toward Mataroa and reached the Turakina Valley Rd via Ruanui Rd.
Luckily a local farmer had graded the road, because there was snow most of the way.