Snow closes Napier-Taupo road from both ends (+photos)

Trucks line up on the Napier-Taupo Road which was closed from both sides after heavy snowfalls over night.

Overnight snow across the Hawke's Bay high country saw SH5 between Napier and Taupo closed just after 6am today.

"We closed the road off at both ends, Napier and Taupo, so we could get clean-up crews in there," Hawke's Bay state highways manager Chuck Dowdell said.

Contractors also ensured vehicles which had begun driving across the highway before the closure all got through without incident.

"No one has been stranded up there," Mr Dowdell said.

Image 1 of 10: Snow is falling in Hawke's Bay.

While the heaviest falls were reported on the Taupo plateau side of the highway there were moderate falls across the Titiokura range on the Bay side.

"We had a fair bit in some areas."

Contractors had been working with graders and snow clearance machines to clear it.
It was the first major snowfall of the year across the highway and the first closure of the year.

Mr Dowdell said conditions had begun ti clear and the situation was being monitored "by the hour".

He advised people planning to travel north to check for road condition updates on the New Zealand Transport Agency website.

He said even if the highway were to re-open later today or tomorrow people should use it "only if absolutely necessary" as there was still the prosect of possible ice building up in some areas.

There were no weather-related issues on other highways through the Bay.