Fears ease after sea surges send logs, rocks into Buller properties

Buller residents are relieved there was no repeat overnight of the high seas that sent water surging into some properties yesterday.

The northern Buller region has been lashed by waves, high winds and squally rain over the last few days, with an emergency operations centre being opened to assist residents yesterday.

While the area is used to high seas, high tide around 9.30am yesterday was dramatic, sending waves crashing over the state highway and into people's properties, mayor Jamie Cleine said.

"Pushed a little car off the road and logs and rocks and things like that across the highway and into people's sections.

"Sea water surging around houses is certainly a cause of concern for people."

Officials were worried about a seven-metre peak swell forecast for high tide last night, especially with water already on people's properties.

Civil Defence urged residents in coastal areas to evacuate, but only a handful of people opted to leave their homes for the night.

Cleine said there were no callouts overnight and while assessments were still being done he was expecting a favourable outcome once inspections have been completed this morning.

The area most affected earlier in the day was from Granity through to Mokihinui. The state highway was closed for around two hours and a lot of damage had been done to bunding along the coast where sand bunds took "a hammering" from the swells, Cleine said.

He said the Upper Buller Gorge road remains closed but a lot of infrastructure has already been damaged by earlier bad weather so it would not take much to cause new slips.

Asked about more mitigation measures he said Waka Kotahi had planned a sea wall in the area that was worst affected yesterday but it was put on hold due to cost.

He was hoping the Transport Agency would revive the project.

Ongoing stormy weather was making Westport residents anxious given the town's propensity to flood, he said.

It was now day six or seven of "stormy squally thundery weather".

"So noone's having any fun out there."

Trees an obstacle to restoring power

Contractors on the Kāpiti Coast were due to start work at first light on reopening a road affected by the wild weather, after its closure left some residents stranded last night.

Power is still out to nearly 400 residents in the region.

Storms brought trees down on power lines on Reikorangi Road making it unsafe for traffic. Kāpiti District Council closed the road yesterday, leaving residents either trapped at home with no power or unable to get home.

Kāpiti Coast District Council incident controller Paul Busing said there were 10 to 15 large trees that were destabilised and posing a risk, making it "very dangerous" for motorists.

While the council wanted the work to be done as quickly as possible, contractors' safety was also a priority and workers had to be sent away yesterday because the weather was too dangerous to proceed.

The weather has improved today.

Power provider Electra needs to use the road to fix the electricity supply.

An emergency centre has been set up in a local church to provide accommodation and food for those who were stranded.

"Obviously that's going to continue throughout the day too ... we are going to have to be looking at the next part of the recovery situation - to get that power back up and running as soon as we can for the other people and meet whatever needs they have until that time."

Pressure for family also hit by Covid-19

Waikura Tousoon is among residents hoping the road will reopen and power will be restored today.

Her household lost power on Sunday night and she expected it to be restored by the morning.

All the family has Covid-19 and when they awoke to find no electricity or cellphone reception she decided the family would drive for about 10km so she could email her work and others to explain the situation.

As she was feeling unwell, her husband drove her and they had to take their children. She was dressed only in a nightie with no shoes.

"Driving out you could see a few dodgy trees and a bit of flooding and then as we got further out the powerlines were destroyed and there was a lot of roadworks going on."

Within half an hour of leaving her home the road was closed so they took the children for a drive but when they returned contractors said they would have to try again at 5pm. That was when they learned the road would remain closed overnight.

The situation was stressful, Tousoon said, with Covid-19 a factor plus her husband needed his medication.

He also had to go to a supermarket to buy nappies for one of the children.

"It was pretty stressful... I just felt really bad."

The family have managed to stay at the empty house of her mother's friend but remain in a state of limbo about the power supply at their home and whether the road has reopened.

Weather easing in most regions

MetService said after days of wild weather delivering heavy rain, thunder, strong winds and tens of thousands of lightning strikes, the weather is finally settling.

Meteorologist Amy Rossiter said watches were still in place for severe wind across the North Island and lower South Island.

However, as well as some households along the Kāpiti Coast, hundreds of residents in Taranaki and Palmerston North are still without electricity.

The regional council is continuing to monitor full rivers in the Manawatū region.

The Moutoa floodgates were opened last night to help relieve pressure on the Manawatū River.

Horizons emergency management controller Ged Shirley said rivers in the region were full but the rain has eased.

The Moutoa floodgates will remain open until at least midday tomorrow, but the Makino floodgates near Feilding will close later this morning.

Shirley said a decision will be made on removing flood barriers at Foxton Beach and Kowhai Park, in Whanganui, later today after high tide.

State Highway 43 in Taranaki is closed by flooding between Stratford and Taumarunui.

Snow is keeping the Lindis Pass and Te Anau to Milford roads closed.