Helicopter sent to flood-risk residents

Chris Carter of Wanganui water services clears a stream which was flooding into a podiatrist's rooms last night. Picture / Tracey Grant

Emergency management authorities have sent a helicopter to help Rangitikei residents at risk from rising river levels.

Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council emergency management manager Mark Harrison said the rain had stopped, but the Whangaehu River continued to rise.

In case any residents needed help, the council had sent a helicopter to the Whangaehu Valley, which lies south-east of Wanganui, he said.

Residents were asked to place a white sheet on the roof or in their gardens as a signal if they required assistance.

Meanwhile, the rain-deluged Wairarapa was today starting the recovery from this week's downpours.

Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker, on a visit to the area, this morning reported the situation was greatly improved.

However, 11 households remained evacuated in the Wellington and Manawatu-Wanganui regions and some small communities were still cut off by flood waters.

The National Crisis Management Centre said the torrential rain that had affected much of the country for four days had now subsided.

Monitoring would continue but the focus would start to move to clean-up and recovery.

Persistent rain fell over the Wairarapa, Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki regions overnight.

All heavy rain warnings were lifted at 8.20am and a remaining rain band was expected to clear by late morning.

Many roads are still closed around the country due to surface flooding and slips.

Two massive landslides on State Highway 2 through the Rimutakas, between Featherston and Upper Hutt, completely blocked the road last night.

But Transit New Zealand's regional highways superintendent, Reuben Pokiha, said it was hoped that both lanes could be reopened by midday.

"The one on the southern side of the range is really massive -- about 600 cubic metres I believe -- but they've been doing an amazing job up there, and tell me it will be cleared shortly," he said.

Mr Barker said from Carterton after flying over the area in a helicopter: "The place is sodden. It's full to the brim. But the systems have coped well, we're in recovery phase now."

His first stop was Masterton and later today he was due in Martinborough.

He praised council workers, emergency services and civil defence.

"They've all done a fantastic job. All the people issues were taken care of as soon as they became known, there are no outstanding welfare issues," he said.

"It's looking good, we're waiting for the rivers to go down...we've got blue skies and sunshine and the people are smiling."

Mr Barker said the rivers would take a few days to go down and locals thought there would be more slips to deal with.

"The council says they have enough machinery to cope," he said. "They've got the tools for the tidy-up, and they're starting on it."

Mr Barker said Masterton District Council had a team on duty all night taking calls. When he returns to Wellington today Mr Barker plans to talk to Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton.

He said farmers had coped well but there were stock issues to be discussed.

"We need to get MAF and Federated Farmers engaged in this," he said.

- NZPA