Hotels give shelter as residents flee rising river

More than 100 people were last night sheltering in hotels between Wanganui and Bulls after a state of emergency forced them out of their homes next to the Whangaehu River.

Ten more were staying in the welfare centre in Ratana.

Rangitikei civil defence controller Leigh Halstead said the state of emergency was a precaution, and overnight teams were monitoring the river, which was 14 times above its normal flow level in places.

He said there were no reports of missing people or injuries, although many homes were flood-damaged.

"Our first concern is the safety of human life, not possessions," he said.

"The river flooded houses in the village and, with many people downstream, it was naturally going to rumble on down. At 3pm we made a call to evacuate the area before we ran out of light, but some refused to go.

"It's not uncommon for people not to want to leave their homes at these times."

High tide was expected to make things worse about 7pm, so Rangitikei Mayor Bob Buchanan declared a civil defence state of emergency at 5.19pm, empowering civil defence to remove people from homes.

Mr Halstead said the river was last night raging at full pace.

"It's in full flight. Peak rain has stopped, but it's really the flow from the headwaters, so we erred on side of caution with the hope most houses remain high and dry in the morning."

Travellers and truck drivers were stranded as floods closed roads, including SH3 between Wanganui and Bulls.

In Taranaki, civil defence teams remained on alert as water entered low-lying areas of Waitotora.

In Wellington and Wairarapa, sunshine and light breezes brought relief to a sodden countryside.

Concerns remained about sewage contamination in Masterton and Carterton, but it was described as a "short-term" problem.

Several families had not returned home because of high floodwater and the threat of slips.

Among them was an Eastbourne family who fled their home after a landslip entered the master bedroom of their house on Thursday night.

In South Wairarapa, one of the worst-affected areas, rivers and streams had started to recede.

"We've got some blue sky, sunshine and a bit of a breeze, which is great for drying out paddocks," said South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples.

"The waters are receding, provided there's no more rain. We're keeping our fingers crossed."

MetService forecaster Allister Gorman said "pesky showers" would persist between Palmerston North and New Plymouth today. Wairarapa and the Hawkes Bay region should expect sunny weather and possibly strong winds.