Firefighters from Rotorua attended the incident, supported by a Lake Ōkareka water tanker.
Police said they received a report of a vehicle on fire on SH5 about 10am and are assisting with traffic management while emergency services work at the scene.
A spokesperson from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said that after being closed for almost two hours, the road had reopened.
The road was operating under stop-go traffic management, with motorists advised to expect delays and allow extra time for their journeys.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.