Sea breaching at the Greymouth Aerodrome on Monday morning. Video / Greymouth Star
Residents in parts of Northern Buller are being encouraged to evacuate as severe weather, including flooding and strong sea surges, continues to lash the area.
Metservice has issued severe weather watches and warnings for heavy winds and swells for Buller. This comes after significant flooding has already hit some areas.
Parts of Granity have already been affected by strong sea surges, causing State Highway 67 to close temporarily due to debris on the road, and moderate flooding to some coastal houses this morning.
Flooding damage in Buller on the West Coast on Monday. Photo / Supplied
Mayor Jamie Cleine said emergency operations staff have been out this afternoon meeting with residents in Ngakawau, Granity, Hector and Mokihinui.
"We anticipated that tonight will be a similar night to last night with rain, wind and high sea swells and encourage self-evacuation of residents whose properties have been impacted by this morning's sea surges."
Waka Kotahi has advised SH67 will be closed from Granity to Mokihinui from 8.30pm to 11.00pm during the high tide, which is at 9.50pm.
Cleine said staff had gone into these rural areas and encouraged residents to stay the night with friends and family on higher ground.
Storm damage in Buller. Photo / Supplied
Most of this morning's damage was centralised around northern Buller, but caution is encouraged around all coastal areas.
Evacuation is not mandatory at this stage, Cleine said, but they strongly recommend residents self-evacuate to friends or family at higher ground if they feel unsafe.
People are advised to take bedding, water, food, medication, warm clothes and to remember their pets when self-evacuating to friends and family.
If residents need assistance to self-evacuate, they can call the Civil Defence Duty phone on 03 769 9323.
Some residents are being asked to evacuate. Photo / Supplied
Further south a mammoth effort is underway to clear the Lindis Pass of more than a metre of snow.
A number of alpine passes in the South Island were closed after a dump of heavy snow over the weekend.
An NZME photojournalist at the scene says 1.5m of snow has fallen on the summit of the Lindis Pass over the last few days.
Contractors were doing everything they can to get the road open, they said.
"We know this is a very stressful time for Buller residents who have been through several weather events in the last 12-months."
