Roads remain closed overnight

Taupo Civil Defence report roads will remain closed overnight and roadblocks will remain in place until further notice

Some of the closest owners have been reunited with their cars but the majority will need to wait until tomorrow due to the approaching night and continuing poor weather conditions.

Travellers wanting to travel through Taupo on SH5 or the Desert Road are advised to keep an eye on the weather and check roading websites tomorrow for further updates.

Those with cars abandoned on the Napier Taupo Highway are being accommodated in and around Taupo, however travellers who have been detoured or delayed from their destinations will need to organise their own accommodation until the roads open again. “We are doing our best to look after those with no transport and no place to go, they are our priority,” says Controller Joe Mickleson.

The logistics of retrieving the stranded cars are being worked through and further details will be advised later.

Roading websites include www.transit.govt.nz and www.aaroadwatch.co.nz