From north to south, New Zealand braves the storm

Fierce winds gusting up to 115km/h make for tough going at Macandrew Bay, on the Otago Peninsula. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Severe gales caused havoc in Otago yesterday, bringing down trees, cutting power and closing roads.

Senior Sergeant Bruce Ross of Dunedin said police had mainly dealt with fallen trees blocking roads, and several roads had been closed.

"The incidents included a tree which fell down on top of a car in Waitati [20km northeast of Dunedin]. A man was trapped in his car and he had to be taken to hospital, but his condition was not life-threatening," Mr Ross said.

State Highway 97, between Ellis Rd and Mossburn in Northern Southland, was closed because of high winds, and there was a diversion in place.

The NZ Transport Agency closed State Highway 1 from Waitati to Dunedin and issued a high wind warning for State Highway 87 from Outram to Kyeburn.

SH1 was opened again yesterday afternoon.

Gales hammered Dunedin with unconfirmed reports of waterspouts, or funnel clouds, being seen over the harbour in the morning.

Winds averaged 80km/h, gusting to 115km/h, and WeatherWatch.co.nz said winds of that speed could lead to some flights being cancelled.

An Air New Zealand flight with 59 people on board was diverted to Queenstown airport, from where passengers were bussed to Dunedin.

Meanwhile it was sunny and warm in Auckland, with experts recording it as the warmest day in May for a longtime.

A climate scientist in Auckland, Jim Salinger, said temperatures had stayed around the 20C mark for a while now, but yesterday was the warmest in the city.

Temperatures reached 22.4C at the airport, 22.5C in Mangere and 22.7C in Whenuapai.

Mr Salinger said the balmy temperature was caused by the warm air coming from Queensland.

"It's just as warm as Brisbane."

- NZPA, additional reporting by Amelia Wade