- All weather warnings have been lifted for New Zealand following several days of torrential downpours.
- The only remaining weather watch is for heavy rain in Fiordland, from Saturday 5pm until Sunday 9am.
- Nelson and Tasman has been hit hard by heavy rain, flooding and slips, with more than 1200 people from 508 homes evacuated and displaced.
- The Nelson Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund is now accepting donations from the public.
- States of emergency remain in place for Nelson and Marlborough.
Roads closed because of severe flooding in Northland and parts of the South Island are slowly reopening, after Aotearoa was hit by torrential rain over multiple days.
Severe weather has battered the country, causing severe flooding and damage to homes and roads, especially in the Nelson and Marlborough regions.
On Saturday morning, MetService lifted all weather warnings.
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* Estimated 1200 people displaced in Nelson as further heavy rain forecast
* Deluge and high tide pushed river to ‘pretty tremendous’ level
* Nelson resident evacuated twice in two days by floodwaters, slip
However, a heavy rain watch would be in place in Fiordland, from George Sound southwards, from 5pm Sunday to 9am Monday.
“Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria,” MetService’s website said.
Brya Ingram/Stuff
Flooding at the Terrace Road and SH6 corner in Renwick.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency confirmed some roads that were closed off because of severe flooding were now open, including Northland’s State Highway 10 Kaeo to Mangonui and SH60 in the South Island, at upper Tākaka to Tākaka.
SH60, between Tākaka to Onekaka, remained closed due to flooding.
SH59 between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay would remain closed, with large slips recorded overnight still to be cleared by roading crews.
Contractors were working hard to restore the road, Waka Kotahi said. However, continuing rain meant the chance of further slips remained.
An update would be provided on Sunday morning or as soon as the road re-opened.
Jessica Gessner/SUPPLIED
Several cars have been crushed by a large slip in the Wellington suburb of Melrose.
Bad weather continued to affect Wellington, with a number of slips, rockfalls, and fallen trees across the region.
Road users were being advised to check roads are open before they travelled, to drive to the conditions, watch their following distances and be prepared for delays.
“This is a huge weather event, with an even bigger impact on the state highway and local road network than the storm of July 2021,” Waka Kotahi national journey manager Helen Harris said.
“We are working as hard as we can to restore vital transport links. Everyone’s patience and understanding is appreciated.”
On Saturday morning, police strongly advised motorists in the Nelson-Tasman region to stay home and avoid travel unless they had to.
Travel should be limited to essential trips only, police said.
A state of emergency has been declared for the Nelson and Marlborough regions.
A spokesperson for Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said the township of Collingwood in Golden Bay had virtually been cut off from the outside world, with no access to phone and internet service.
The main highway between Collingwood and Takaka had also been severely damaged by flooding and slips, and remained closed.
The spokesperson said it required a full assessment by geotechnical engineers before it could be opened to a single lane for light vehicles only.
This assessment is expected to take some time, and the possibility of the highway reopening on Saturday, was unlikely, Civil Defence said.
About 1200 people are now displaced in the Nelson-Tasman area.
Following a government contribution of $200,000 to the Nelson Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund on Thursday, the fund is now open to accept donations from the public.
Any person or organisation wishing to donate to the Nelson Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund can deposit funds into the Nelson City Council bank account 03 0703 0325055 00. When making a donation, please use the reference “Mayoral Relief Fund”.
Nelson mayor Rachel Reese said it would take years for the region to recover: “Some will not be able to go back to their homes.”
Tasman mayor Tim King said the effects of the weather event would be long-lasting and “a number of people will need ongoing support to bring their lives back to normal”.
Marie Kerr/Supplied
Two cars were caught in floodwater in Northland’s Whangaroa on Friday. The floodwaters were receding on Saturday and roads were reopening.
What’s causing this?
Behind the extreme weather is a “long-lived atmospheric river” that landed on our shores on Tuesday, according to Niwa meteorologist Tristan Meyers.
Meyers said atmospheric rivers were huge plumes of moisture that moved from the tropics to the mid-latitudes, where New Zealand sits.
“This current atmospheric river is pretty exceptional.
“Analysis we undertook indicates that the amount of moisture in the atmosphere for this particular event is unprecedented for August in climatological data going back to 1959,” he said.
The University of Otago’s Dr Daniel Kingston said the event this week was also notable because of how long the atmospheric river would linger above us – it would be “parked overhead for a number of days”, he said.
“I’d speculate that it’s in line with what we would expect from climate change; for every degree of warming, the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere can increase by about 7%.”
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