A cleanup is underway in Christchurch after the city had more rain in one day than it usually has in a month and in Manawatū, further heavy rain is forecast.
Peter Timbs Meat in Christchurch deals with flooding at least once a year. Photo: Facebook / Peter Timbs Meats
Christchurch had about 60 millimetres of rain yesterday - more than its monthly average rainfall in less than one day, MetService forecaster William Nepe said.
Torrential rain caused flooding, closed roads, prompted slip warnings and wastewater overflows contaminated floodwater.
Council contractors were out and about this morning to assess damage.
Wee bit of rain in Christchurch today. pic.twitter.com/26inisPPwW
— Brevity, ramblings. Fully vaxxed. (@taranakitimaru) December 15, 2021
Homes in Le Bons Bay on the Banks Peninsula had to be evacuated when the stream burst taking out a bit of the hillside.
Around 116 millimetres of rain fell over 24 hours at the bay - about a quarter of this year's total rainfall for the area.
Christchurch City Council closed many roads overnight due to the Ōtākaro, Avon and Ōpāwaho, Heathcote rivers spilling over their banks.
Terraces along the Ōpāwaho/Heathcote River in the suburbs of Beckenham and Ōpāwa are open again, as are roads around the Ōtākaro/Avon River in Avondale.
Central city streets around the Ōtākaro remain closed until further notice.
Flooding on Avonside Drive in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
Peter Timbs Meats in Edgeware was flooded last night, for the second time this year.
Store manager David Timbs said there was a layer of debris through the shop when they started cleaning at 4am today but after a cleanup the store would reopen today - the busiest time of the year.
"Ninety percent of the water had gone, it was just in the corners of the store [we] squeegeed that out, just got rid of the silt, put a bit of sanitising foam around the place just to make sure everything's cleaned and ready for business."
The water reached 40cm high in the store.
"And as you went out to the street, towards where the drains are, it was over my knees," he said.
Years ago, after the first flooding in the store, all of the motors for the chillers were moved to the roof, under cover, Timbs said.
Flooding happens once or twice a year.
"It's something that we've been through many times here before, many times over the last nine and a half years, it's an ongoing thing.
"Getting used to it but it's dragging you down as well, everytime it happens it's a lot of stress on everyone that's here."
Timbs said several members of the council have told him the store is in a low lying area and drainage is a struggle.
"There's a lot of low lying areas around Christchurch that don't get affected as badly as this place. Someone has to come and have a look at it.
"We can only take so much more of it, it's not a one-off event, this has been happening year after year after year. We'd really appreciate it if we could get some resolution on this."
Route home flooded. Need canoe. Water too high canoeist had to carry his canoe over Barbadoes St bridge. #christchurch #otautahi #avon #otakaro pic.twitter.com/9oc1yxMgiu
— tulipblack (@tulipblack) December 15, 2021
A boil water notice being issued for the town of Springfield after E. coli was detected in the water. Selwyn District Council said the water should not be drunk, used for washing vegetables or brushing teeth, or making ice, until it has been boiled.
The council said contamination of the water supply has been caused by stormwater which overloaded the system. Reservoirs in Springfield, Hororata and Acheron were running low.
MetService's William Nepe told Morning Report the worst of the rain in Christchurch has passed.
The region could now expect patchy light rain and showers.
"The rain has eased quite significantly."
The wet weather is triggered by warm moist air from the north allowing the atmosphere to hold a lot more water, he said.
"If you can find something to trigger and to squeeze that water out of the atmosphere you have the potential to get a lot of rainfall and that's what we've seen."
Kapiti Coast cut off
The Kapiti Coast is no longer cut off from Wellington with both State Highway 59 and Paekakariki Hill Road partially reopened, after they were blocked by slips and fallen trees earlier this afternoon.
However, the two roads remain vulnerable to further slips.
One lane of State Highway 59 at Pukerua Bay reopened just before 5pm, while Paekakariki Hill Road is open to northbound traffic only.
Waka Kotahi regional operations manager NZTA Mark Owen said contractors are still working to clear the remaining slips and fallen trees.
Owen said contractors hoped to clear the major slip from State Highway 59 at Pukerua Bay in a couple of hours but it will take longer to clear the queues.
The ground was saturated and engineers were assessing the risk from further slips.
Several roads on the Kapiti Coast are down to one lane or open only to residents due to flooding and slips.
The slip on SH59 in Pukerua Bay has been partly cleared. Photo: Facebook / Peter Thompson
Manawatū deluge
Heavy rain in Feilding caused flooding across the Manawatū area, including in and around the Makino stream.
More than a dozen other roads around Feilding are impassable, including Te Reureu Road where a large hole has opened up.
Flooding in Te Reureu. Photo: Supplied / Ruthie Henchman
The Makino Stream, which runs through Feilding, has dropped overnight.
There was significant surface flooding throughout the town last night - for the second time in 48 hours.
The Makino floodgates, which divert water away from Feilding, were closed after more heavy rain and a rapid rise in river levels.
There were fears the stream could still top its banks and some residents were preparing in case they needed to evacuate.
A number of roads around Feilding remain closed due to flooding and some communities are cut off.
There were 80 flood related callouts and a number of houses were evacuated. A welfare centre was set up at the St John Ambulance Hall.
Te Reureu, north of Feilding, had been cut off. Staff from the district and regional councils were to take off in a helicopter at midday to fly over affected areas.
They said anyone stranded, without means of communication, can leave a bed sheet outside so it's visible from the air.
Local resident Ruthie Henchman said about 20 to 30 people had been isolated from the main road.
She first heard about the high river levels from a neighbour and said the flooding was completely unexpected.
Phone lines are down and cellphone reception is often patchy in the valley, she said.
Manawatū District Council mayor Helen Worboys said people in social housing were among those evacuated.
Worboys said within a few hours the storm water system was coping well and cleared up most streets.
The forecast today is not looking much better, she said.
"The roads are holding up well, as with anything when they get pounded and water gets into them then there is going to be damage and yes, there's been areas of flooding, there's been areas where seal is lifting," she said.
"We're just urging people to please phone in any property damage, any particular safety issues, any roading issues so that our team can get those assessed."
On a road in Te Reureu. Photo: Supplied / Ruthie Henchman
Federated Farmers Manawatū / Rangitikei president Murray Holdaway told Morning Report the rain caused significant problems.
"I don't think I've ever seen so much surface water lying around in paddocks, even in the middle of winter, for a long long time."
Paddocks with surface flooding in Te Reureu, Manawatū. Photo: Supplied / Ruthie Henchman
Holdaway said there has been stock loss.
"We really need a week of warm dry weather for it to drain away and get back to square one."
One of the rivers in the upper Rangitikei area was damaged, with the regional council arranging a helicopter to assess, he said.
Tairāwhiti damage
The bad weather has cleared around the East Cape in the North Island, but slips are still keeping the roads shut.
State Highway 35, near the East Cape between Te Araroa and Pōtaka, is closed due to flooding
The transport agency is asking motorists to avoid the area and plan their journey ahead of time.
Gisborne District Council's civil defence manager Ben Green said important local roads for the communities in remote Tairāwhiti have been damaged.
These include the road out to the East Cape lighthouse and bridges out to the remote Waikura Valley.
"The areas that we do have out, particularly around the East Cape Rd, there are some slips on there, probably some concerns around a couple of bridges there that will need engineering assessments."
There has been around 200 millimetres of rain in the area over four days.
The aftermath of heavy rain around the East Cape. Photo: Supplied/Gisborne District Council
Road closures
In Opiki, State highway 56 between Tane Rd and the intersection with State Highway 57 is closed due to flooding.
Motorists are advised to consider detouring via State Highway 57 or delaying their travel.
State Highway 54 between Beaconsville and Vinegar Hill in Manawatū is closed due to flooding and slips.
The road is closed from McKays Line to the intersection of State Highways 1 and 54.
A strong wind warning for State Highway 6 in the West Coast has now lifted.
However, the transport agency is asking drivers to continue to take care between Hokitika and Haast if they are in a lighter or high-sided vehicle, or riding a motorcycle.
A slip is blocking both lanes of SH4 just north of Taumarunui and the road will be closed for some time while contractors work to clear the road.
Diversions will be signposted.
