Marlborough

Bridges are gone, roads are destroyed, and some locals have been without water for over two weeks as flood recovery drags on.

Locals say a big clean-up is underway, after the river burst its banks.

Civil defence has confirmed this week's downpours have matched the devastating 1877 deluge. Audio

Crews have assessed nearly 650 properties after record-setting rain left homes damaged and roads destroyed across the top of the South Island.

The region remains under a state of emergency.

It was likely to be a few days until the full extent of damage was known.

Spring Creek and Renwick residents spent the night away from their homes.

Tasman District Council says residents near the Motueka River from Tapawera to Riwaka should be prepared to leave quickly.

Picton residents have stopped by an NZTA display to show the proposed relocation of SH1 through the town.

Staff at The Dump Shop in Blenheim have been flat out, connecting households in need with furniture and appliances that were destined for the dump.

Emergency services are investigating how the crash came about.

Both people on board suffered minor to no injuries, emergency services said.

A resident who describes the decision as "pretty horrible" is concerned about a nearby school.

More than half the roads across the district damaged in recent years have been fixed at a cost of $134m.

The owners of several food trucks on a vacant central Blenheim lot are worried they will be turfed out after the land was bought by the Marlborough District Council.

The five-year exploration permit covers almost 12,000 hectares of land around Endeavour Inlet, Te Anamāhanga / Port Gore and Titirangi Bay.

A Christchurch man says it is unfair to be reimbursed only part of the ticket price.

'Alcohol is not for everyone, and perhaps it's not for you,' says the judge at sentencing.