Cyclone Gita: West Coast town Granity preparing for round two

Phil Perrott's accommodation and restaurant business Miners on the Sea following a storm surge during former cyclone Fehi. Photo / Phil Perrott

Three weeks ago the storm surge with former cyclone Fehi swamped Phil Perrott's property in Granity, threatening the buildings.

The full house of guests at the hotel, restaurant and bar in the tiny West Coast town had to leave, and Perrott tried himself to escape to Westport.

But he had to wait to get there, as the high tide had cut off access.

"The storm surge didn't quite reach the building but it covered the property and we lost the underground services," Perrott said.

"It wrecked the power, the septic system and water - we couldn't run the taps."

He had to cancel about two weeks' worth of bookings and, including repairs, believes Fehi cost him about $50,000 to $60,000.

"It was a big hit for us."

Former cyclone Fehi swept through Granity resident Phil Perrott's property. Photo / Phil Perrott

With former cyclone Gita about to make landfall, he is preparing to go through the same again.

"It is really blowing up now - the sea is getting wild."

Former cyclone Gita is moving quickly towards the top of the South Island today, bringing wind gusts of more than 150km/h in places, heavy rain and northwest swells of 8 to 9m.

MetService meteorologist Nick Zachar said the system was expected to hit Farewell Spit and move across the top of the South Island from about 7 or 8pm today.

Severe rain and wind warnings are in place for Buller through to 9pm and 10pm tonight respectively.

Another 70 to 100mm of rain is expected, and severe gale easterly winds could reach 130 to 140km/h in exposed places.

There is also the potential for coastal inundation with high tide overnight tonight, and before dawn tomorrow, due to the combination with low air-pressure, strong onshore winds and large waves in excess of 6 metres in places.

Large waves during high tides Taranaki, Kapiti & Nelson around 2am tonight, and Kaikoura and Canterbury 9pm this evening, then Weds 10am and 10pm could cause coastal inundation. Head to our Marine Coastal areas at https://t.co/hnwmGxU1gR for expected swell heights. ^RK pic.twitter.com/swQg644Rzn

— MetService (@MetService) February 19, 2018

Perrott had to send a full house of 16 guests away last night, and will probably have to cancel another dozen bookings this week.

While the sea did not reach his buildings last time, many other residents of the tiny coastal towns of Granity and Hector have not been so lucky.

"There are plenty more houses up the road that were badly affected," Perrott said.

With much of the town sitting just above the beach there is only so much the residents can do.

"I am just going to hunker down here. All the guests are gone, everything is locked up and tied down.

"If it gets too bad I will head up the hill as the road to Westport could be closed off again."

Perrott was there for Cyclone Ita in 2014 too.

"That did a lot of devastation and this is looking pretty similar."

Phil Perrott's accommodation and restaurant business Miners on the Sea following a storm surge during former cyclone Fehi. Photo / Phil Perrott

Buller District Mayor Garry Howard said no state of emergency had been declared yet.

"At the moment there is nothing critical, no lives at risk, all infrastructure is operating well and the services are handling it well.

"We are hoping we get through with just some rain and strong winds, but it is still early days.

"It is like waiting for a wedding, a bit of anxiety. We have just got to wait and see if it will hit us or not."

It had been one of the best operations in terms of preparedness, he said.

"There has been quite an incredible amount of support from the different agencies. The eight days of warning has also been very helpful."

The main areas of concern were Mokihinui, Karamea and around to Abel Tasman.

"But it is a changing beast. We don't want to get complacent.

"We should get 70-100mm of rain here in the next 24 hours, and the strong winds are of concern.

"There has been a high level of concern for the coastal towns of Granity and Hector, but the storm surges appear to have dissipated slightly.

"There will still be high seas though, and for the properties previously affected by Fehi, this does not help."

The view from Miners on the Sea looking out to the high seas during former cyclone Fehi. Photo / Phil Perrott

They were still finding tourists parking on the coast, and were requesting they went to official campgrounds rather than free camp, as it was easier to monitor peoples' safety.

The Department of Conservation had been warning people not to go hiking, especially on the Heaphy Track, he said.

"They have taken their staff off the track and are warning people about the dangers."

Howard would be meeting at 2.30pm with other officials and emergency staff to reassess the situation.

Comparing our fresh-off-the-press high resolution model guidance with the previous run -- strong consistency across the South Island for heavy rainfall, peaking late Tuesday. Watch for flooding and slips! pic.twitter.com/x0vv9GjpRJ

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) February 19, 2018

Karamea resident Ray Douglas said people were still recovering from Fehi.

"There is a real possibility those people could be affected again too."

"The winds are a real concern. When Ita came through it ripped out tens of thousands of hectares of native trees.

"It flattened everything in its path. There is not a lot of preparation you can do for something like that."

The rain was not too much of a concern as it had been a "pretty dry summer".

"It has more or less been a drought. The rivers are very low so the chance of flooding is low.

"The main area of concern is Granity, which could experience tidal surges of 6 to 8m.

"That area has already seen an increase in storm surges. When that comes through today it could take out properties."

Everybody was well aware and informed about the storm, he said.

"Civil Defence have been on the job very early."