Unseasonable summer snow dump on Mt Taranaki
Whoever asked Santa for a white Christmas got their wish, with Mt Taranaki receiving a good dump of snow overnight on Saturday. The maunga was donned in a fresh coat of white, down to about 1400m, as the sun rose yesterday after temperatures dropped to an unseasonably chilly level.
Rob Needs, of Taranaki Mountain Shuttles, said he dropped a group off at North Egmont about 7.45am. ‘‘I didn’t even get out of the car because I thought it was going to be cold,’’ Needs said.
The snow had reached as low as Tahurangi Lodge and was the result of the southerly weather system moving up the country,
Needs said.
Dawson Falls Mountain Lodge manager Dean Kira said he couldn’t see the snow when he
arrived at 9am because of the low cloud but knew the temperature had fallen.
‘‘It was certainly cold this morning. It still feels cold now,’’ Kira said about 12.30pm.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said there was a chance of showers this morning but the skies would clear.
‘‘Things improve quite quickly by afternoon and it’s looking like a fine day for the Taranaki region,’’ Makgabutlane said.
The pattern would continue tomorrow and showers were also on the cards through Wednesday and Thursday, so Makgabutlane said it might pay to keep a raincoat handy as people prepared to see in the New Year.
‘‘There is still a little bit of uncertainty. There’s a small chance of a bout of showers before the end of the year.
‘‘At this point, if people are packing that far ahead then, yeah, it would definitely be prudent to keep one on hand.’’
The temperature was forecast to be a mild 18 degrees Celsius today and the mercury was only expected to rise slightly to 20 as days progressed.
‘‘That’s pretty much where it hovers for the rest of the week.’’