Community grieves for postie

By ANNE BESTON and NZPA

A Wairarapa postie caught in a stream that became a torrent during this week's storm was terrified of the water and could not swim.

Erlinda Warrington, 46, described by neighbours and colleagues as a "lovely person" and a pillar of the small Bideford community near Masterton, set off on the 36km drive to Masterton at 5.30am on Wednesday to pick up mail for her rural delivery run, a job she had held for 15 years.

But she was caught in the storm, which had turned the Wainuiomapu stream into a torrent.

Senior Sergeant Warwick Burr, of Masterton, said her body was found in the stream early yesterday, near where her ute was found on Wednesday night.

Farmers found the ute on the opposite side of the road to where they had expected it to have been travelling.

It appeared a tree had blocked the road and Mrs Warrington had decided to turn for home, but her vehicle was caught in the rising floodwaters.

The back windows were wound down, indicating she had scrambled clear of the ute and tried to reach safety.

Her tearful husband, Les Warrington, told TVNZ's Holmes show last night how he passed within a few centimetres of the ute but the water was so high no one knew the vehicle was there.

"When they told me the road had been closed at 7am I went looking for her. I passed the ute and never saw her.

"The police and neighbours have been wonderful. They've been out all night."

Mrs Warrington, a Filipina, was Mr Warrington's second wife and stepmother to his children, who include prominent Queensland jockey Jason Warrington.

NZ Post spokesman Ian Long said a condolence book had been set up at the post centre in Masterton.

"The team there are very, very close and I know they are coming together. They're pretty devastated," he said.

The Warringtons' neighbour, John Falloon, described Mrs Warrington as a "stalwart".

"She would do anything for you. Nothing was too much trouble," he told the Holmes show.

Wairarapa residents and Wellingtonians were counting the cost of the storm and mopping up yesterday, and thousands of central North Island residents were without electricity.

Powerco spokesman Charles Kaka said about 2200 customerswere without electricity in the Feilding and Taihape regions after a power pylon toppled over in floodwaters.