Drive safely. Drive to the conditions this weekend, as wet weather continues to pummel the East Coast.

A Metservice orange heavy rain warning is in place for Hawke’s Bay west and south of Wairoa, effective from 1pm tomorrow (Sunday) until the early hours of Monday. There is potential for the warning to be upgraded. There is also a strong wind warning in place for Tairāwhiti between 4pm tomorrow (Sunday) and 7am Monday.

At this stage all state highways around Hawke’s Bay are open, but please take care on the roads, be alert to the possibility of surface flooding and adjust your speeds and following distances accordingly.

Current status of state highways in Tairāwhiti

• SH2 Waioweka Gorge remains closed.
• SH35 Pōtaka to Taurangakoau Bridge, south of Te Araroa, remains closed.
• SH35 Ōpōtiki to Pōtaka is open.

The only detour route available is SH2 Gisborne to Napier/SH5 Napier to Taupō.

• SH2 Gisborne to Napier is open.
• SH5 Napier to Taupō is open.

SH2 south between Gisborne and Napier is an important detour, especially at the moment in and out of Tairāwhiti. Crews are on standby in both Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, ready to respond to issues on SH2. 

If you do need to travel this weekend, please drive with extra care and make sure to check Journey Planner or Facebook(external link) before you go for the latest state highway conditions. 

Remember to switch on your headlights on, increase your following distance and be prepared for unexpected hazards in these conditions. 

If you see any issues on the state highways, report them to 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).