"These are unusually strong, we get gales in the Wellington region fairly often but these are exceptionally strong."
New Zealand Transport Agency regional performance manager Mark Owen earlier said SH2 between Wellington and Wairarapa, over the Rimutaka Hill, is closed because of high winds but it has since reopened.
It was closed around 6am after wind gusts of more than 150 kilometres per hour were recorded at the summit.
Council workers clear up a tree that blew over in strong winds in Silverstream, Wellington. Photo / Don Rood
He warned motorists to watch their following distances, and take care when coming around corners, in case they came across slips or debris. Roads would be slippery, even after the clean-up.
High winds were also having a big impact on a wide area.
"[I'd] advise people to take extra care, particularly high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists. who are very vulnerable in these strong wind gusts that are happening at the moment. [People] just need to be mindful that this is quite a significant weather event."
The East by West harbour ferry has also been cancelled and the Interislander ferries are delayed.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said as a result scheduled sailings would run late for most of today.
The Interislander would continue to monitor the weather conditions as the day progressed and review the safety of scheduled sailings.
Fire Service Shift Manager Craig Dally said they've had a number of weather related callouts this morning.
