'Million-dollar rain'

The wet weekend brought "million dollar rain", but it wasn't enough to prevent fire restrictions coming into place or ease concerns completely.
Waitara Valley farmer Alan Carrington said about 60mm fell at his property since Thursday and it had made a visible difference to his land. "When it started raining it had started to go brown, but we've had about two and a half inches and it's changed the colour of the land," Mr Carrington said.
"It's million dollar rain."
He said the pasture growth it would allow farmers who had not already sold lambs to hold on to them and fatten them over the next two months, a much better prospect than sending them off to the works now.
"That's good for Hawke's Bay. To keep lambs here is much better than sending them off somewhere else."
It might also ease congestion at the meat works, which have been clogged up with farmers having lambs killed.
"I had some cull ewes ready to go and was told there was a 10-week wait because they were killing lambs.
"I saw the drought had cost the region $700 million. This will put a million dollars back in."
The flow-on effect to meat workers and transport operators would be good too, he said.
Further south though there was considerably less rainfall.
Otane farmer Hugh Ritchie said the northern part of Central Hawke's Bay had seen about 39mm, but Otane got 10mm less than that and Waipukurau only 20mm.
He said people expected dryness about this time of year but on the back of the drought and harsh winter people were still trying to get over the past year.
"It's been quite variable. It is December after all."
* Fire restrictions have been placed across the Hastings district.
Near drought conditions coupled with low soil moisture and low river levels in the district have raised the fire danger.
The Hastings District Council said the weekend's rain was not enough to reverse the fire danger.
The New Zealand Fire Service and the council's fire officers were worried about the amount of dead vegetation throughout the Heretaunga Plains and coastal areas.
The council's principal rural fire officer, Mike Maguire, said drought conditions had been forecast during the next few months, adding to the low water tables on the Heretaunga Plains.
Should the traditional hot, dry northwesterly winds return to Hawke's Bay fire conditions were likely to become extreme, he said.
"The fire risk is now very high and we ask people not to light a fire without a permit," Mr Maguire said.
"Rainfall can't be absorbed by dead vegetation and fire conditions are likely to become extreme once the sun and wind evaporate any moisture," he said.
Permit applications should be made to the council offices allowing for up to three days for the application to be processed.
The Metservice 10-day forecast showed fine and sunny weather is expected until December 19.