It looked more like winter than December in Taihape after a hailstorm blasted the town. Photo/ Taihape Community Development Trust
Taihape has been blasted by a massive hailstorm, leaving the Rangitikei town blanketed in thick white hailstones.
Hail began to fall just before 2pm on Thursday and hammered the town for about 10 minutes.
"It was huge," Taihape Community Development Trust office administrator Frances McKeown said.
"It was just going sideways and it kept coming in big waves. It kept going and going and going.
"We're in the town hall here and it was loud considering that we've got thick concrete walls."
The streets and rooftops were covered in a think white blanket following the storm.
McKeown said some of the stones were the size of a 10c piece and she was keen to go and check her car for damage.
"The traffic slowed down a lot because the visibility was way down."
The temperature dropped suddenly on Thursday before it arrived and there were reports of hail on the Taihape-Napier Rd on Wednesday.
The circumstances around the death are being treated as unexplained.