Two more slips partially block Wellington roads

Wellington City Council staff inspect damage caused by a large slip that fell over a parked car and shifted a multi storyed house above Devon Street, Te Aro. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Two more substantial slips came down overnight in Wellington, partially blocking roads, but not threatening houses.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean told NZPA today that the cleanup from slips in the city was continuing.

"Two substantial slips came down overnight," he said, "partially blocking Tinakori Road (in Thorndon near the Hutt Road intersection) and Ohiro Road in Brooklyn."

Mr MacLean said Palliser Road in Roseneath and Devon Street in Aro Valley were still closed while the council continued to clean up from the big slips yesterday and at the weekend.

A Devon Street house evacuated by five students after a Sunday morning slip, was still vacant.

The large slip was reported around 6am on Sunday after heavy rain overnight, and the students living in the large Victorian villa about 20m above the street were evacuated shortly after.

Mr MacLean said the house had not yet been condemned.

"Engineers and insurers have to take a close look at it, and they're obviously waiting for the slip to stabilise before they go in.

"Yesterday we went in and attached a temporary stormwater connection to the house because that was broken in the slip," he said.

Today police were warning that sleet and/or snow was expected between Waiouru and the summit for a time this morning but should clear this afternoon.

They warned that drivers should take extra care.

In Waikato regional council staff were still on high alert and were working to stop the swollen Waikato River from flooding farmland.

Flood pumps were operating at Huntly College this morning, but principal Tim Foy was confident the school will re-open tomorrow.

Rising flood levels in the Waikato River forced the closure of Huntly College yesterday and the school was to be shut again today.

Today Mr Foy said it appeared the river had reached its peak and the situation was not as critical as it appeared yesterday.

Substantial areas of the college grounds were covered in water, but because the school had been closed, there were no sewage problems.

Easing rainfall in the Waikato over the past day had taken some pressure off rivers and the council said floodwater was unlikely to spill onto State Highway One.

The Waikato River was still about 50cm below flood level at Rangiriri and, based on current weather predictions, was unlikely to rise over the highway.

The Waikato River was still rising as recent heavy rain drains through the catchment, but the rate of rise had slowed.

The Waipa River had peaked at Whatawhata, where water levels in the upper catchment had begun to slowly recede.

Environment Waikato emergency management officer Adam Munro said a period of drier weather forecast for the next two to three days would provide a chance for water to flush out of the rivers.

"However, we will continue to watch them carefully over the coming week, because there is more heavy rain forecast on Thursday," he said.

Staff were to fly over the Waipa and Waikato catchments today to assess the extent of flooding and check how flood control and drainage schemes had performed so far.

- NZPA