Gales close skifields, halt ferries

By CATHY ARONSON

Gales at the weekend closed Whakapapa and Turoa skifields on Mt Ruapehu and halted Cook Strait ferries.

A strong southeasterly gale, drifting snow and sub-zero temperatures forced the closure of the skifields despite record snowfalls.

After a week of heavy snow Whakapapa had a 185cm base and Turoa a 150cm base yesterday.

The setback followed a poor start to the ski season. Ruapehu fields were closed the first weekend because of poor snow cover, when the base was only 42cm.

The weekend gales over Ruapehu resulted from a large complex low that has been hanging over the country for most of the week.

The wind was its strongest in the middle of the Cook Strait and caused the cancellation of most ferry sailings yesterday.

The 60-knot winds created swells of between 7m and 11 metres and prompted a MetService storm warning.

Wellington had 13mm of rain and Wellington Airport was buffeted by winds of up to 90 km/h but no flights were cancelled.

The high winds and big seas made driving treacherous around parts of the capital.

Wellington police urged motorists to stay at home to avoid being blown off the road or caught by slips.

Inspector Jim Taare said gusts of 100 km/h were reported on State Highway 2 between Wellington and Petone.

One car went over the wall into the sea at Pukerua Bay early yesterday and the driver had to be cut from the wreckage.

He was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

By 7.15 last night the worst seemed to have passed.

Inspector Iain MacKenzie said 35 car crashes had been reported in Wellington City alone - and treble that number in Greater Wellington - during the previous 24 hours.

But the wind had dropped to about 35 km/h and driving conditions had eased.

"At the moment it's good as gold," he said.

"It was a bit bloody rough before, but the southerly is subsiding."

The Wairarapa Coast was hammered with 70 km/h winds. On the Kaikoura coast 50mm of rain fell.

Parts of Auckland and the mid-North Island had heavy rain, surface flooding and hail but the MetService was expected to cancel a heavy rain warning last night.