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Storms continued to lash the lower North Island today, while an icy blast moved up the South Island bringing heavy snow and ice.
Widespread flooding again hit the Wairarapa and landslips caused evacuations in Wellington.
While the rain was forecast to ease later in the day, the cold southerly was expected to bring gale force winds in exposed coastal areas south of Hawkes Bay and snow down to sea-level in the South Island and to 300m in the lower North Island.
Ice and snow closed State Highway 1 at the Desert Road between Rangipo and Waiouru in the central North Island shortly before 9am, but it was reopened this morning.
In the South Island, the Wakatipu Basin received about 10cm of snow by mid-morning, Queenstown Lakes District Council communications manager Meaghan Miller said.
"It's the heaviest snowfall this winter -- all the schools are closed, and we've had to close access to some of the steeper roads," she said. Queenstown airport was also closed.
Snow was falling on some areas of Port Hills and Banks Peninsula in Christchurch and forced some road closures.
The Automobile Association was advising extreme caution, with Otago-Southland roads among the hardest hit by snow and ice.
Hutt City Council emergency management controller Paul Nickalls said around 30 people were evacuated in the hilly Wellington seaside suburb of Eastbourne around 9pm yesterday after a landslip.
The house was reported to have moved up to 3m from its foundations and would have to be demolished.
"We evacuated houses down and around it, not knowing which way it might go," he said today.
Eastbourne chief fire officer Ross Carroll said late this morning he thought the slip had halted. "Last night I was 100 percent sure the house was going over the edge. Today I think it may stay there. One way I'll be right," he said.
Mr Nickalls said around 25 houses were evacuated, with residents being housed at the local fire station before moving on to spend the night with family or friends.
He said slips had also occurred along the Eastbourne road and in nearby Wainuiomata. Several minor roads were closed in Wellington, and surface flooding disrupted parts of State Highway 2.
River levels
However, river levels in the area had dropped and did not pose any further threat.
State Highway 4 between Raetihi and Wanganui is closed due to landslips and flooding, with alternate routes via State Highway 3 still open.
Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws said that after the flooding of two weeks ago, the ground couldn't cope with much more water.
He said early warning systems for rural residents had been effective, and many in the Wanganui River Valley had already gone into town to avoid being cut off.
In Wairarapa, heavy rain caused widespread surface flooding overnight throughout the region, particularly in south eastern areas.
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) staff were continually assessing the situation and closely monitoring river levels, a spokeswoman said today.
Heavy rain had eased but showers were expected to continue throughout the day.
Given the already saturated conditions in the Wairarapa, the GWRC was advising people to be on the alert for rising rivers and streams as well as further localised flooding and slips.
Slips also partially closed the Napier-Taupo and Napier-Wairoa roads.
The bad weather has also closed State Highway 56 at Tokomaru at its intersection with the Manawatu River Bridge.
Transit New Zealand issued a swathe of road warnings for black ice, snow and sleet.
Light snow was falling in Dunedin and chains were required in many parts of Otago and Southland, particularly between Alexandra and Roxburgh.
State Highway 85 between Palmerston and Kyeburn was closed due to snow and ice.
Christchurch City Council communications adviser Terry Sefton said Summit Road from Gebbies Pass to Dyers Pass Road has been closed, and was open only to four-wheel-drives from Mt Pleasant to Evans Pass.
A slip on Reynolds Valley Road in Banks Peninsula temporarily blocked the road about 1km from the bottom, isolating a couple of farm properties.
State Highway 87 between Outram and Middlemarch was closed due to heavy snow, while a low avalanche hazard warning is in effect for State Highway 94 between Te Anau and Milford. Chains were also required on SH94 between Lumsden and Te Anau.
The extreme weather affected interisland ferry sailings across the Cook Strait. Toll New Zealand communications manager Sue Foley said overnight delays between two and three hours were experienced, but no sailings had been cancelled.
- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB
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