Debris covers the road to Glenorchy just outside Queenstown on Friday after the region's wettest 24-hour period in 24 years. Photo / George Heard
Debris covers the road to Glenorchy just outside Queenstown on Friday after the region's wettest 24-hour period in 24 years. Photo / George Heard
Heavy rain has been lashing Wellington, Taranaki and Nelson this morning as the main band of a front that battered the South Island this week now moves up the country.
The worst of the rain is expected to begin hitting the central North Island high country now and the eastern Bay of Plenty tonight - with both regions under heavy rain warnings.
Heavy rain watches are also in place for Wellington, Taranaki, Gisborne and northern Hawke’s Bay, and Northland.
The state of local emergency in Queenstown, originally declared on Friday morning after the heaviest one-day deluge of rain in 24 years battered the region and brought flooding, has been lifted this afternoon.
In a statement, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said the emergency operation centre will continue to operate and some restrictions will remain in place to protect public safety as the focus turns to recovery.
The state of emergency for the Southland district has also been lifted as the region moved into a “local transition period” to support the community and address flooding impacts.
Wellington, meanwhile, has been hit by constant rain this morning that is expected to last throughout the day.
For the rest of the North Island, the heaviest falls are expected to be during the second half of today and tomorrow morning, MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said.
Motorists are urged to be careful as the weather disrupts what was expected to be a busy weekend on the roads due to the beginning of school holidays.
“Significant and widespread impacts are possible,” O’Connor said.
Severe Weather Warnings have been updated ⚠
The rainband has moved on to the North Island today, bringing widespread rainfall and strong northerlies, before stalling over eastern Bay of Plenty 🌧💨
Waitomo and the central North Island high country up to Taupō are subject to a heavy rain warning from 11am today through to 4am tomorrow, with 70mm-90mm possible.
The Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki is also subject to a heavy rain warning from 1am Sunday through to 3pm with 70-90mm possible.
Elsewhere, powerful rainfall in Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast this morning could approach “short-duration warning criteria”, MetService said.
Why the intense pockets of heavy rain? It's a classic #ConvergenceZone - A big southerly flow from the Southern Ocean meeting a strong northerly flow from the sub-tropics.
The two air flows become head-locked, keeping a line of heavy rain stuck in one area for a long time. pic.twitter.com/kGOEArju2l
A second burst of heavy falls is also expected this evening.
Heavy falls now hitting Taranaki are expected to last through to 1am tomorrow, while heavy falls should get to Bay of Plenty this evening and Northland in the early hours tomorrow.
Weatherwatch.co.nz earlier said the rain is trapped between two very powerful high-pressure zones and one of those highs is also feeding tropical air into the rain over the weekend.
Eastern Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti looked to be the most exposed to rain, which could be heavy enough to cause slips and localised flooding, the forecaster said.
By Sunday night, the front moves to the northeast of the North Island and becomes slow-moving.
Queenstown ditches state of emergency, focuses on recovery
On Saturday afternoon, the Queenstown Lakes District Council announced the local state of emergency over the region has been lifted.
“I am now terminating the state of local emergency with regard to Queenstown, within the Otago CDEM Group Area, and giving notice of a 28-day transition period over Queenstown within the area,” said Mayor Glyn Lewers in an official statement.
There remains no public access to the Queenstown Cemetery, which took the brunt of the slip with logs and slash scattered throughout the site, or Ben Lomond Reserve for safety reasons.
All roads and streets in the centre of Queenstown have reopened with the exception of Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd between One Mile roundabout and Sunshine Bay.
Elsewhere in the district, Paradise Road, SH6 between Makarora and Haast, and Mount Aspiring Rd at Glenfinnan Bluffs all remain closed.
Reavers Lane in Queenstown, where 10 properties have been red-stickered, and two yellow-stickered after this week's heavy rain. Photo / RNZ
Some tracks, trails and reserves across the district also remain fully or partially closed.
Lewers told NewstalkZB this morning the worst of the weather is likely past and so long as the “rain stays away”, residents and emergency teams can get on with the clean-up.
That included the lifting of cordons at midday on Brecon St - which had forestry debris washed onto it by flooding waters.
Ten homes have now been red-stickered and two yellow-stickered.
While 55 people were initially evacuated, there are now about 15 people still unable to return to their homes, the council said.
Up on the slopes, meanwhile, a fine dump of snow has been revealed on The Remarkables.
On Saturday morning, Lewers said there were probably about a dozen homes that still cannot be occupied.
He said his team is waiting for “clarification from the engineers” about the houses before letting residents back in.
The clean-up of debris is now underway on Brecon and Reavers Sts, with the Queenstown council contractors pitching in along with teams from the Skyline tourism company, Lewers said.
Queenstown councillor Matt Wong spoke of the “mess” on Brecon St in the town, where footage captured forestry slash debris washing through and blocking roads.
“It looks like it happened about midnight. There was significant flooding that really brought the debris in through the township,” he told The Hits Southern Lakes Breakfast.
A nearby cemetery appeared to have taken the brunt of the slip, Wong said. Logs and slash were scattered throughout the site.
“I’ve never seen it like this in all my life. There’s going to be some difficult questions asked.”
Emergency services were kept busy in Queenstown, helping residents deal with flooding and landslides. Photo / James Allan
Southland region move to transition period, Gore boil water notice
Southland residents are also busy recovering from the wild weather where the local state of emergency was lifted on Saturday afternoon to move into moves into a “local transition period” to support the community and address flooding impacts.
Southland District Mayor Rob Scott said the region will now go into clean-up mode, with a lot of work required, particularly on farms.
Several roads remain closed due to floodwaters throughout the district, and some have re-opened but have surface flooding and/or damage. Commuters are urged to take care and only travel as necessary.
Around 100mm of rain fell across the province as it declared a state of emergency on Thursday night.
The Gore District Council this morning issued a boil water notice for city inhabitants.
“Our 3 Waters team has issued a boil water notice for Gore, effective immediately,” the council posted on its Facebook page.
“The notice is precautionary after turbidity levels spiked at the Hilbre Avenue water treatment plant.
“The increase in particles in the water supply has been caused by discoloured flood water from the Mataura River entering the Jacobstown Well aquifer.”
The council also said that concerns over high water levels in the Mataura River had passed after it peaked at Gore and Mataura, and was starting to fall.
Waka Kotahi NZTA for Otago and Southland said State Highway 6 from Haast to Makarora remained closed due to a slip, while SH99 Wallacetown to SH6 is also closed due to flooding.
SEVERE WEATHER - UPDATE 10AM, SAT 23 SEP The following state highways across the Otago & Southland regions are CLOSED • SH6 Haast to Makarora - Slip • SH99 Wallacetown to SH6 - Flooding https://t.co/KtzfP76n8hpic.twitter.com/EqK0jnJaeF
