Reprieve from rain for flood-stricken regions

10.30am

Heavy rain forecast to fall on flood stricken North Island regions today should now pass farther to the north, the Met Service says.

Devastating rain and high winds last week caused an estimated $100 million damage to the lower North Island and top of the South Island.

The Met Service issued a weather warning yesterday after another low pressure system was expected to add more misery to flood-soaked farmers and homeowners.

However, overnight the system had changed direction and was now expected to pass farther to the north, Met Service forecaster Andy Downs told NZPA.

"It's now expected to cross further north up the island, bringing heavy rain to the Taranaki, Taumarunui and Waitomo regions."

Between 100mm and 150mm of rain was expected to fall in the Mt Taranaki region, with around 80mm in Taumarunui/Waitomo, Mr Downs said.

Rainfall in those areas might affect the headwaters of the Whanganui River and possibly the Manawatu, but was unlikely to fall directly in regions still underwater.

"Any rain that does fall will be short but very heavy rainfalls," Mr Downs said.

Today's front should be the last bad weather for a while, with the Met Service predicting fine weather for the remainder of the week.

Life was slowly beginning to return to normal in flood-hit areas today, with some Manawatu schools reopening.

Many households, farmers and businesses working on clean up operations will be waiting for news from Parliament today, where the government is due to release details of an aid package.

Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton told NZPA yesterday the floods had struck a region which was one of New Zealand's highest producers.

"... gradually people began talking about it being worse than (Cyclone) Bola. That is now entirely credible."

Strong winds posed the main weather problems this weekend, with fierce gales roaring across the country on Saturday.

The winds lifted roofs, cut phones and brought down trees and power lines, closing more roads and affecting water supplies.

The strongest gust recorded by MetService was 230km/h at Angle Knob at the top of the Tararua Range last night. Winds at Wellington's Mt Kaukau peaked at 180km/h about 4pm yesterday, and 170km/h was recorded on the Rimutaka Hill, 152km/h at Castlepoint in Wairarapa and 110km/h in Manawatu.

Forecasters said it was one of the strongest northwesterly winds in the past 10 years.

The winds caused further problems for crews battling to restore electricity supplies. Several hundred homes had been without power on Saturday, but power lines company Powerco said the high winds had cut power to an extra 9000 houses in Wairarapa, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Wanganui and Taranaki.

Chief executive Steve Boulton told National Radio this morning around 450 homes were still without power.

"Some areas we just cannot gain access to at all because of the flooding," he said.

Powerco had bought and hired generators and taken them to farms still without power so farmers could milk stock, Mr Boulton said.

A state of emergency remains in place across the Manawatu-Wanganui region, but is to be reviewed at noon today.

Army and air force personnel were yesterday helping with clean-ups in Scotts Ferry, at the mouth of the Rangitikei River, and Whangaehu, southeast of Wanganui, two of the hardest-hit areas.

Up to 600 people in the district were displaced and 149 houses were uninhabitable. In Manawatu, 175 houses were affected, with three houses and a hall destroyed.

State highways had reopened by last night, apart from the Manawatu Gorge, Raetihi to Wanganui, and State Highway 54 between Vinegar Hill and Cheltenham.

Tranz Rail reopened the main trunk line at 12.30am today, after the Longburn Bridge was repaired 24 hours ahead of schedule.

The Masterton-Palmerston North line was reopened yesterday, but the Marton-New Plymouth line would be closed for several more days.

- NZPA