Bread shortage due to wild weather

Some supermarkets have been struggling to keep their shelves stocked with bread due to this week's wild weather. Photo / File

Some supermarkets have been struggling to keep their shelves stocked with bread due to this week's wild weather.

As a result of road closures, trucks have been unable to deliver loaves to parts of both islands.

A spokeswoman for Countdown said it was continuing to experience some delays with bread deliveries in the South Island, but deliveries were today returning to normal in the North Island, where there were some shortages in Wellington yesterday.

However, the supermarket chain's in-store bakeries were still operational and able to provide their own freshly-baked bread.

A spokeswoman for Foodstuffs, which operates Pak'n Save, New World and Four Square, said some stores in the Lower North Island had a little less bread than usual yesterday, but deliveries were returning to normal today.

Additionally, stores that were short on bread were receiving extra stock.

No shortages were reported to Foodstuffs from South Island supermarkets today.

Meanwhile, fine weather was a welcome ray of sunshine for thousands of North Islanders, many of whom are still without power as a result of the weather.

MetService is predicting sun for most of the country this weekend with a few frosts and showers.

The wintry blast has started pulling away to the east, however temperatures are forecast to remain in the low teens for North Islanders, while highs in the South Island "won't crack double digits" according to MetService meteorologist Sarah Sparks.

The good weather was expected to continue tomorrow for the top of the country.

Those down south are not so lucky, with a front expected to make its way up the South Island tomorrow, bringing rain and some heavy falls mainly for the west.

The Desert Rd is the only highway route across the Central Plateau which hasn't yet opened following this week's bitterly cold weather.

At one point, 500 people were trapped by the weather, staying at Chateau Tongariro Hotel and the Skotel Alpine Resort.

A spokesman for the Chateau said many guests got on their way after 2pm yesterday, but the hotel was expecting a very busy day today.

North Island motorists were being warned to drive carefully because of ice and snow on the roads with the NZ Transport Agency urging people to be cautious on highways between the Central Plateau and Whanganui, Hunterville and Taumarunui.

The agency further warned South Island drivers to take care on the icy roads.

Tararua District Council also said today that Route 52 was closed in two places following damage due to flooding on Friday.

More than 2200 homes on the central North Island's Powerco network were without electricity today, including about 1500 in Rangitikei and some 500 in Manawatu.

Eastland Network said several hundred homes on its East Coast network were also without power.

Powerco operations manager Phil Marsh said crews would be working late into the night and be back out again early tomorrow morning.

"With the use of helicopters we have found major damage in the Central Plateau area and around Taihape and Mangaweka. The extent of the damage to rural and remote areas indicates that it might be several days before power can be fully restored.

"We hope to reduce those numbers again tonight and we will be back out there at first light tomorrow morning. We appreciate our crews for their efforts and we thank those that are still without power for their understanding in this difficult time."

Eastland Networks said its staff faced a challenging task.

"The crews are making steady progress, with power now restored to Cricklewood and Ruapapa.

- Additional reporting: Newstalk ZB