A pilot came across the waterspouts while he
© Chris Schone.A pilot came across the waterspouts while he was in the air, west of Manaia.
Double waterspouts and fresh snow have surprised Taranaki residents today as polar-laced air sweeps up the country.

Hawera Aero Club pilot Chris Schone happened to come across the spouts while he was flying 3000 feet in the air, west of Manaia.

"I've never seen them before, other than on the news so that was interesting.

"I was a comfortable distance away from them so I wasn't too worried about that."


Schone is based in Hawera and said he's been flying around the area for 15 years, but it was the first time he had seen the funnel-shaped clouds.

"It certainly made for a good show."

Nicola Peters saw the spouts forming in the clouds around 1pm off the coast between Opunake and Manaia.

"I'm thinking they were waterspouts, and I've personally never seen around this area and I've been here for four years."

"[The weather is] is quite nice except for the little patch, it was sunny at the time I took the [pictures]."

"They're coming out the clouds, by the time I got to the main road you could see how fast the water was moving in them.

"It's quite powerful, it just looked like it was spinning."

Taranaki local AJ Highnam captured several photos of beds of snow across the Stratford car park below Mt Taranaki at lunchtime today.

Highnam home schools her daughter so she was able to "drop everything" and head to the car park to experience the snow.

Tara Highnam plays in the snow.
© AJ HighnamTara Highnam plays in the snow.