Pam whips up some nasty weather

HIGH SEAS: Waves crash against the reef at Castlepoint yesterday as Cyclone Pam moves past the Wairarapa coast on her way to the Chatham Islands. PHOTO/SARA-JANE ELLMERS

The dying fury of Cyclone Pam buffeted coastal Wairarapa with high seas, rain and wind gusts of up to 100km/h yesterday.

Castlepoint Beach store owner Devon Oakly said big swells had come up overnight Monday with water flooding into the public toilets near the beach and surf washing up and over the beachfront road to within about 100m of the shop.

"There were some big waves coming in apparently, right over the road and it was close to the same yesterday."

MetService forecaster Karl Loots said the storm system had brought high winds to coastal Wairarapa and at times some inland rain, with up to 15mm in an hour falling in Masterton overnight Monday and some heavy rain in other parts of the region "although nothing really spectacular".

"The real brunt of the storm was felt further north of Wairarapa, eastern Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne."

He said the greatest Wairarapa winds were recorded overnight Monday and yesterday at Castlepoint, and Cape Turnagain, with gales reaching up to 70km/h for periods on Monday evening and gales of up to 50km/h posted at those locations yesterday.

There were "more significant" wind gusts of more than 100km/h posted at Castlepoint on Monday night, he said.

Mr Loots said the storm system had been moving swiftly away from the coastal region early yesterday and was heading toward the Chatham Islands, with a "rapid easing" of the rain and wind forecast for Wairarapa and mainly fine weather and only the odd shower expected today.