Coastal Whanganui dry but there's been rain in the hills near Taihape

Coastal Rangitikei farmers will be needing their irrigators this month. Photo / File

Coastal Whanganui crops are dying from lack of water, while stock in eastern Taihape luxuriate in clover.

Whanganui is a region of two halves for rainfall this summer. The coast has had no significant rain for 40 days, while thunderstorms have patrolled the inland ranges.

Last summer and autumn were "pretty magic" for coastal Whanganui dairy farmer Bruce Cave. This spring went from too wet to too dry without anything in between.

He's dried off one lot of cows a month early, and ordered in enough palm kernel to keep all of them going until autumn. He's seen maize crops withering in South Taranaki, and the barley crop on his run-off is too far gone to survive, even if rain comes soon.

"It's a massive misery," he said.

Elsewhere farmers are selling off stock early, and fodder crops are failing in the paddocks. If there is light rain and conditions stay calm and hot, facial eczema could become a problem, Wanganui Veterinary Services managing director Tom Dinwiddie said.

Inland from Hunterville, Rangitikei is very dry.

In coastal Turakina Richard Redmayne has sent several truck and trailer-loads of beef cows and calves to Hawke's Bay for grazing. The maize on his river flats has got its roots down to damper soil and is okay.

Up in the hills, it's a different story. There's been rain, but it's patchy. Mangamahu is okay, but not flash.

Ohakune had thunderstorms for five nights in a row, Ron Frew said, and 70mm of rain. He's still milking twice a day, and the early potatoes are looking great.

It's a lot hotter than it used to be though. There have been highs of 26C this month - previously unheard of for December.

Eastern Taihape is where the farmers are really happy. They had a terrible drought in 2013, but this year the rain has been tremendous, with 135mm delivered by thunderstorms.

"There's so much clover. The stock are doing really, really well," Fraser Gordon said.

He's had calls for help, and sent some balage to Himatangi. He may offer heifer grazing later.

"Hopefully we can help them out a bit later on, once we destock a bit."

Caution urged

The Horizons Regional Council is asking water users to be mindful of approaching water shortages.

The council allows people to take water from under the ground and from rivers and streams. It's asking consent holders to keep an eye on water levels and reduce or stop their takes when levels get low.

The levels can be checked on the council's website, and consent holders have water meters recording what they take.

The wet spring replenished groundwater well, Horizons science manager Abby Matthews said. But a dry summer is likely to stress supply, especially from shallow and artesian bores.

The minimum flows in waterways are carefully set, and must be maintained. Easing up on non-essential takes could save water for essential uses such as stock and human drinking.

In dry summers like this one toxic algal blooms are more likely in waterways, and they endanger both people and animals.