Giant waves which pounded houses, spat up boulders and trapped a vehicle on Wellington's south coast could return today.
Roads around Lyall Bay - near the city's international airport - Owhiro Bay and Island Bay had to be blocked off yesterday afternoon after fierce waves endangered motorists. Source: Tessa Sherlock, Rob Wilson.
Giant waves which pounded houses, spat up boulders and trapped a vehicle on Wellington's south coast could return today.
Roads around Lyall Bay - near the city's international airport - Owhiro Bay and Island Bay had to be blocked off yesterday afternoon after fierce waves endangered motorists.
Emergency services were called after two people became trapped in a vehicle on Cape Palliser Rd just after 1pm, when waves damaged part of the road. Police said they managed to get themselves to safety.
Police were also called to the area after reports of cars in danger of being swept out to sea. Tow trucks were organised for the vehicles to be removed safely.
Miramar resident Julia Price had a near miss after pulling over in a seaside carpark on Lyall Parade to have a closer look at the swells.
"I was just sitting in my car after I pulled in there, just watching the waves. But then I could see a swell that looked much bigger and thought, 'Oh, I better reverse my car,'" she told the Herald.
Seconds later, a huge wave crashed over and on to the road, where she had been parked seconds before. "It just came straight over. It was incredible."
Ms Price - who works on the digital team at Positively Wellington Tourism - said they were the biggest swells she had seen since moving there last year.
Joelle Gragilla using a gared rake to clear debris, thrown by huge ocean swells, from the road in front of her home between Owhiro and Island Bays, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Doug Weir, a resident of Lyall Parade for almost 30 years, said the waves were as big as he had ever seen.
"We've probably had this four or five times in 25 to 30 years. It's not a stormy surf, it's just clean-cut [and] dead calm. She's one of the bigger ones, that's for sure."
The waves were coming over the road, Mr Weir said, and were throwing debris on to the west side of the parade by the Maranui Surf Club, as well as by the airport.
"It's monstering the breakwater out there, running right over it."
He said the waves had drawn a hardy crew of surfers, who were making the most of the conditions.
The waves shocked locals with the weather in Wellington otherwise fine, reaching a high of 16C.
MetService marine forecaster Mike O'Connor said the swells were a result of a deep low passing over the south and east of the country, as well as southwesterly winds over the North and South Islands.
"We've had quite a strong southwesterly over much of the country, but Wellington was in a nice little pocket where we were getting sheltered from the South Island," he said. "So that low has moved east and it's kicked up this big swell that's come from the Southern Ocean."
Weather conditions today are again expected to bring big swells that could reach up to 6m in some areas, including Cape Palliser, later in the day.
A spokesman for the Wellington City Council said last night that road closures were expected to remain throughout the night as crews monitored the situation.
•Big waves around Lyall Bay, Owhiro Bay and Island Bay force roads to be closed from the afternoon after boulders, rocks and debris endanger motorists.
•The eastern end of Lyall Bay, including Moa Point Rd, is blocked off and those heading to the airport have to use the back (main) route.
•Swells reportedly reach between 4-6m high.
•No evacuations in the area, but public warned to stay away as waves are unpredictable.
Southern cold snap on the way bodes well for skifields
Numbingly cold temperatures are forecast for much of the country early this week but Aucklanders may escape the cold snap.
Meteorologists are warning of plummeting temperatures tomorrow, particularly in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington, as a large storm in the Southern Ocean swirls away from the country.
Auckland should stay relatively mild, and sun may even be on the cards, WeatherWatch weather analyst Philip Duncan said.
The weekend's blustery winds should die off by Wednesday and easterlies rolling in will bring breezy and cloudy conditions, he said.
Skiers enjoy conditions at Coronet Peak, near Queenstown.
"It certainly doesn't feel like winter yet in Auckland. It's not a really bad week," he said.
"A lot of the storms that pass by us are huge at this time of the year ... Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington get it but there's a whole lot of land between there and Auckland so it stays kind of mild."
But the lower North Island and the South Island might be a different story, Mr Duncan said.
Biting winds would bring a seriously cold day to Wellington tomorrow with hail, sleet and snow possible, he said.
Severe frosts were possible in inland areas overnight tomorrow and Wednesday and rainfall could reach warning levels in the lower South Island on Thursday.
The icy temperatures did mean good news for ski bunnies, with the official start to the ski season kicking off in parts of the South Island over the weekend.
Mt Hutt skifield in Canterbury opened its gates on Saturday alongside Queenstown's Coronet Peak and Wanaka's Cardrona Ski Resort.
The Remarkables will open on Saturday and Ruapehu's Turoa and Whakapapa skifields are both in line to open on June 27.
