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Strong winds continue to wreck havoc across New Zealand today, with trees, powerlines and buildings in the firing line.
A gust of wind blew roofing from Lion Nathan's Auckland brewery into the path of a train this morning.
Witness Jonathon Tango said the train, which had just pulled out of Newmarket Station, had no time to stop and collided with the debris.
Earlier this morning squally winds swept over most of the North Island and a tornado was reported south-west of New Plymouth in Taranaki.
MetService severe weather forecaster John Crouch said a fairly fast moving front with embedded thunderstorms moved over the Taranaki about 2-3am this morning, and tornadoes would have been possible. The front now lies east of New Zealand.
He said more thunderstorms were expected for the south and west of the South Island today, but there should not be any thunderstorms in the North Island in the next couple of days.
"But we will see a continuation of the showers and strong westerly winds," Mr Crouch said. "It's going to be pretty unsettled over the next couple of days."
Severe weather warnings
MetService has issued a severe weather warning for Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Wellington, Otago, and Southland, with severe west to northwesterly gales expected late this evening and overnight.
The strongest winds are expected about Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay south of Napier, with gusts of 140 km/h in exposed places. Gusts of 120 km/h are likely about northern parts of Wellington overnight as well as coastal parts of Southland and South Otago.
MetService warned the winds had the potential to damage trees, powerlines and insecure structures, and make driving conditions hazardous.
It said gales were also likely for the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, and parts of Marlborough and North Canterbury.
An overnight storm caused a tornado near Kaitake, 17km southwest of New Plymouth, downed power lines and trees, a police spokeswoman said.
Power cuts
Severe winds, falling trees and lightning strikes knocked out power to more North Island residents overnight.
Powerco Network operations manager Phil Marsh said around 5000 customers were without power, with the latest losses affecting Taranaki and Manawatu.
"We had a continuation of the high winds overnight causing more damage to the network and more bad weather is forecast so we still have a lot of work to do and we will continue until all customers are reconnected," Mr Marsh said.
The majority of people still without power were in Taranaki, Manawatu and Wairarapa, he said.
Electricity was knocked out to around 5000 of homes in Whangamata, in the Coromandel Peninsula, yesterday when a 33,000-volt power line supplying the area faulted are 130km/h gusts hit the coastal town.
Whangamata community board member Jack Wells said the gales were huge, as if they had blasted through a wind tunnel.
"It's bloody scary. The whole house shakes in squalls that last about 30 seconds. I've got a stack of ripped off branches on the back lawn. It's dynamite here," Mr Wells said.
He would not risk leaving his house because of the debris flying around, he said.
"I like living too much. It would be too dangerous to be walking anywhere with the trees and power lines coming down."
Areas of Manawatu, Wanganui, Taranaki, Wairarapa and the Western Bay of Plenty were also affected by outages, with most faults had been repaired by last night.
A Vector spokeswoman said about 1250 houses lost power briefly in rural north Auckland when trees hit power lines in Puhoi and Dairy Flats yesterday.
About 250 houses on the North Shore also needed repairs to their hot water systems.
Southern snow
MetService warned that temperatures would plunge in the Southland tonight as a cold front crosses the region.
It said significant snowfalls were expected overnight, mainly above 200m, where 10-15cm is possible, especially in the Catlins and hilly areas exposed to strong southwesterlies. Localised blizzards and snow drifts are possible.
The Fire Service in Invercargill said it had been flat out working three pumps to drain properties around the city swamped by melting snow.
South Island road closures
SH93 from Clinton to Mataura and SH87 from Outram to Middlemarch are closed due to snow.
Vehicle restrictions remain in place on SH73 from Arthurs Pass to Springfield and Arthurs Pass to Otira. Towing vehicles are prohibited and chains are essential. Arthurs Pass is expected to receive a significant snow fall this evening with 20 to 30cm possible by midnight.
The Milford Rd remains closed to towing vehicles and chains are to be carried. Further snow showers are expected this morning with 2-3cm in places, however heavier and persistent falls are expected this evening with 20-30cm between midday and midnight.
Lewis Pass was expected to receive 1-2cm this morning and light showers should continue throughout the day, with more significant snow likely this evening above 500m, 10-15cm possible between 6pm and 4am tomorrow.
Snow showers cleared over night at Lindis Pass, but further snow is expected to accumulate on the road this evening, with 2-4cm likely between 6pm and midnight.
A few light snow showers are expected to clear from Porters Pass early this morning, but light showers should return to the higher parts of the road this evening.
North Island road closures
The North Island has also received its share of the snow fall.
The Rimutaka Hill Road was closed following 2-6cm of snow accumulating on the hill above 400m from 3am to 7am this morning. It has since reopened with cars only allowed across in escorted convoys, one way at a time.
The Manawatu Gorge road has reopened following a slip which closed it yesterday.
Snow is also falling on the Central Plateau this morning, with 4-12cm accumulating on the Desert Road between 3am and 12am this morning. Another 3-6cm are expected over the next couple of hours. Drivers are warned the road may close.
State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumaranui remains closed following a number of slips.
Ruapehu District Council road transport team leader Warren Furner estimated that it would cost $1 million to fix its damaged roads.
There had been 19 large slips on district roads since Friday, he said.
The district's ski fields have also taken a hammering, and Turoa's new six-seater chairlift has been damaged.
Mt Ruapehu spokesman Mike Smith said winds had been too strong to assess how long repairs would take, but the ski fields were expected to reopen this weekend.
In the lower North Island, Scotts Ferry, near Bulls, has become encircled by floodwaters, cutting off road access.
Pumps worked full-time to drain the low-lying village, as the stopbanks keeping the rivers out also trapped surface flooding within.
Resident John Ransom said the community had confidence in the stopbanks - "but we're not out of the woods yet".
Road access to the area was cut, though residents could get in and out via a forestry road.
FALLOUT
*More than 13,000 houses lost power, including 1250 in the Auckland region.
*Gusts of 130km/h rocked Whangamata, knocking out power across town for most of the day.
*Ruapehu has estimated its road damage alone will cost $1 million to fix, after 19 major slips since Friday.
*A Southland man is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a falling tree.
*A coastal village in Manawatu - Scotts Ferry - has been ringed by floodwaters, cutting off road access.
By Michael Dickison, NZPA and Paul Harper | Email Michael
