Tararua forecast: Raincoats needed before skies clear

Dannevirke residents can expect more rain going into the weekend. Photo / NZME

Umbrellas and raincoats will be the order of the day at least into the weekend, but Dannevirke may see better weather ahead.

MetService spokesman Luis Fernandes said the next few days would see a fairly wet period, although there would not be significant rain every day.

He said the current forecast showed it would be wet until at least Saturday, which may put a bit of a dampener on upcoming events.

"It's not the best [weather] for outdoor events," he said.

Sunday would also be a bit "drizzly".

Forecasts showed the weather was expected to improve going into October, which would be a welcome respite for many residents wanting some dry spells.

Fernandes said people in the area were "certainly not alone" in this, as many regions up and down the country had been experiencing a wet winter.

The big wet has caused havoc with many rural roads around the Tararua district and saw the closure of a section of Route 52 between Pongaroa and Alfredton due to a slip early last week.

Crews are still working on the slip which closed a section of Route 52. Photo / Supplied

The council reported that the teams working on the slip had been flat-out.

A post on social media said the site was still very wet and saturated and the slip was still on the move, with cracking and bulging due to pressure.

"To stop the slip movement at pavement level, our teams are now trying to form cutoff drains along the narrow point of the slip. By doing this we hope to reduce saturation, which could slow down or potentially stop the movement."

If this was successful, the council would look at digging some test holes where the temporary road would be placed.

As long as the weather co-operated, the council was "carefully optimistic" a lane could be opened next week some time, but failing that, it was unknown when they could open the road.