Owhiro Community Gardens damaged after Owhiro Stream bursts banks and floods homes in Wellington

Chickens have been swept away, bridges have been destroyed, gardens damaged, and homes flooded in Wellington's Owhiro Bay.

Workers at the Owhiro Community Garden were this morning counting their losses after the Owhiro Stream burst its banks last night.

"Everyone calls it a stream, but when it's like this, it's a river," volunteer worker Rangi Wickliffe said.

Rangi Wickliffe stands by the swollen Owhiro Stream, which last night flooded homes, destroyed gardens, and killed chickens. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

Wickliffe was suffering the guilt this morning of locking up the chickens in their pen overnight, only to discover the next day that only three of the 12 chooks were still alive.

"I actually locked them in there because the neighbours complain about the noise," he said.

"I was so sad when I saw it . . . I felt a little bit guilty."

Wickliffe has seen some of the chickens' bodies float past in the swollen stream today.

The normally docile waterway was gushing today, about three metres wider than usual after the flood broke away a metre and a half of the bank on either side in some places.

Wickliffe pointed out a line of dirt and muck about two feet up the outer wall of a nearby flat. Some of the buildings by the stream have been flooded. Residents were evacuated overnight for their safety.

A slip has brought debris down into the front yard of a Newtown flat. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

Elsewhere, gardens have been wrecked by the water washing through.

The community garden is a space for anyone to come and set up a garden of their own.

"The lady that owns this garden came down this morning, she burst into tears," he said, pointing to one small patch covered in silt.

"They put a lot of love and care into their gardens."

Wickliffe knows the feeling - in November's weather bomb, six tonnes of dirt slipped down onto a lawn area he was in charge of maintaining.

"It had green grass, rose bushes, fairy lights up there."

Skye Fazakerley and Onyx Fazakerley were at home when the slip came down at the flat next door. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

All his hard work to make a beautiful spot for people to enjoy was destroyed when the slip came down, so he can understand the feelings of those who have put so much work into their "artistic" gardens only to have them flooded.

Most of the patches escaped damage, but a bridge leading across to them was washed away when a tree came rushing down the stream.

The bridge has been there for 15-20 years, he said.

It is now a long trek for people to get around to the other side, where most of the gardens are kept.

Nine people have already visited the garden this morning to see how their patches had fared.

"We will rebuild," Wickliffe said.

"Perseverance pays off, especially in this environment, with the weather how it is."

Gardens CEO Mark Forsyth said about 250 people use the community gardens, and he would now have to petition council to replace the bridge urgently, or at least put a temporary replacement in.

He said the garden was a "haven" for some people.

Meanwhile in the Wellington suburb of Newtown, the rain has also wreaked havoc.

A slip on Millward Street took out part of the footpath as well as a power pole, which fell down into the front yard of a house below.

Neighbour Skye Fazakerley was watching TV about 8.30 last night when the slip happened.

"It went bang and the power went out, and I came out and realised the power pole was actually falling down the hill," she said.

Fazakerley called the fire brigade, and was told not to light any candles, as the power pole had damaged a gas line.

The flat has suffered minor damage in the slip in Newtown. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

She said there were cars parked on the side of the road right where the slip came down that narrowly missed slipping down as well.

Maia Apaapa lives in the flat that the slip came down on.

He was not home at the time, but said his friend heard a loud bang as debris came tumbling down toward the front of the house.

"It feels like we're in a cool film set," he said.

The flat is still without water and power.