140mm downpour a relief, says farmer

Steve Ruck. Photo / Greg Bowker

After the driest summer in 20 years Steve Ruck welcomed this week's downpour.

The cattle farmer, who has 108ha of land at Pakiri Beach north of Auckland, said Thursday's "drought-breaker" deluge of about 140mm had triggered a heap of growth in his kikuyu grass.

And while yesterday's predicted storm didn't amount to much, it was enough to douse the fields.

"It will help, but last Thursday was really what we needed," he told the Herald.

Yesterday his cattle and scattering of sheep were happily grazing on the hills after he moved them from low-lying, flood-prone land on Sunday.

"I knew it wasn't going to come during the day and you don't want to move stock during the night," he said.

Mr Ruck said as long as the mild temperatures continued and those "nasty South Island southerlies" kept away, his land should stay sufficiently moist for the winter.

New Zealand Federated Farmers vice-president Donald Aubrey agreed the rain provided welcome relief around the country.

"Certainly it's a big change from what was quite a pronounced and dry summer period."

Mr Aubrey said that South Canterbury's Rangitata Gorge had been rising since 7pm on Sunday, but was not posing a threat and he was not aware of any issues around the country.