A Herald reader captured footage showing thick clouds of grey and white smoke billowing into the sky above the Central Plateau.
Thick clouds of smoke billow into the sky as a vegetation fire burns through the Waiouru Military Area near the Desert Rd.
A motorist travelling from Taupō to Wellington told the Herald they initially mistook the smoke for a large cloud before rounding a bend and realising a fire was burning in the distance.
“Every now and then you could see the flames through the smoke even though we were super far away,” they said.
“When we first saw it, the smoke cloud was big but hadn’t travelled far.
“By the time we got to Waiouru about 10 minutes later, it had spread considerably.”
Warning signs are being put in place along the road, and motorists are being urged to proceed with caution.
Strong winds battered parts of the country today, with a powerful weather front moving north.