Wellington  - Hundreds of stranded New Zealand motorists faced a second night in emergency shelters on Monday after an estimated 1-metre snowfall on central North Island.

A state of emergency was declared in the lakeside town of Taupo when about 900 motorists were forced to abandon their cars after being trapped by the unseasonal springtime snowfall, described as "a freak weather occurrence."

Police said the 145-kilometre stretch of highway between the east coast port of Napier and the lakeside town of Taupo was expected to remain closed for a second night because of abandoned vehicles blocking the road.

Two stretches of the main highway between the capital, Wellington, and the country's biggest city Auckland were also likely to stay closed for another night.

At least 700 homes and farms in the affected region were without power after the snow brought down transmission lines. (dpa)