Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed due to severe wind gusts. 

“The Auckland Harbour Bridge is now CLOSED due to strong winds,” NZTA said in a tweet. 

“Please detour via SH18/SH16 Western Ring Route.” 

Earlier this afternoon, NZTA brought in speed limits and lane reductions due to the high winds. 

“Extra care is required for all vehicles. High-sided vehicles and motorcyclists should consider delaying their journey or detour via SH18/SH16 (Western Ring Route).” 

Meanwhile, New Zealand faces a lingering risk of strong winds and scattered thunderstorms as the weekend winds down. 

While the North Island will see scattered showers, and the South Island some brief rain in the west and along Southland’s coast. 

Strong wind watches remain in place for Hawke’s Bay, Tararua, Coromandel, Tasman, Dunedin, Clutha, and Southland, with gusts up to 100km/h possible in exposed areas.

Snow was reported near Lewis Pass on Saturday, accumulating down to around 500m. 

Temperatures on Sunday are expected to reach highs of 17 to 18C across most of the North Island, with overnight lows of around 12 to 14C. 

In the South Island, highs of 15 to 17C will drop to 8 to 10C overnight. 

Saturday brought a turbulent start to the weekend, with strong winds and patchy thunderstorms sweeping across much of the country. 

Western coasts were particularly affected, with severe thunderstorms recorded in some areas and gusts of 90 to 110km/h alongside heavy rainfall of 10 to 20mm per hour. 

MetService meteorologist Alain Bailee urged drivers to pull over if caught in thunderstorms. “They can pack quite a punch,” he said. 

By Saturday afternoon, the risk of storms will ease for most of the South Island, though the North Island’s west coast will remain. 

Most weather warnings were set to expire by 5pm, giving way to a strong south-westerly flow across the country on Sunday, though some showers will remain embedded in that. 

The extreme weather also impacted a planned pro-Palestine march in Auckland, which altered its route to avoid the Harbour Bridge because of unsafe wind speeds. 

NZTA warned that gusts over 90km/h could have led to temporary bridge closures or lane reductions. 

Motorists are advised to remain cautious on roads this weekend and continue monitoring MetService alerts as conditions evolve. 

Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. He previously worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. 

Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. He previously worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive.