Lower North Island battered by bad weather

Auckland pedestrians make a dash for it yesterday. Picture / Kenny Rodger

The lower North Island was bearing the brunt of the wet, windy weather today, with flooding reported and flights cancelled in Wellington.

Police urged drivers to exercise caution in the capital, with powerlines down in the suburb of Newlands, and potholes and surface flooding near the Petone over-ramp.

Air travel has also been affected with a large number of flights in and out of Wellington Airport cancelled.

Meanwhile, surface flooding was being reported on State Highway 2 at Birchville, and in parts of Wairarapa, police said. SH2 at Woodville was partially blocked by a landslip.

A fallen tree and a landslip were mostly covering SH3 near Kaiiwi, north of Wanganui, and contractors were on their way to remove the debris, police said.

Manners Mall in central Wellington was closed for a time while police and fire officers worked to secure a 20m by 30m billboard which had been blown loose from a building.

MetService said rain was set to continue in the southern North Island and Kaikoura for the rest of today before easing tonight. A further 100mm of rain was possible in the hills with up to 50mm likely in lower areas.

In Wellington, the rain is accompained by gale southerlies and gusts of 110km/h.

A MetService spokesman said: "People should be aware of river levels and the likelihood of slips and surface flooding."

Yesterday, the bad weather particularly affected those holidaymakers who left for home late - they had to deal with delays and treacherous driving conditions in much of the North Island but especially in Taranaki, Manawatu and Wellington.

However, most drivers were careful in the conditions with the road toll for the long weekend standing at two this morning - one of the lowest ever recorded.

Norman Marsden, 86, died on Friday night when his car dived about 100m down a bank in the Cashmere Hills in Christchurch.

A 30-year-old man died on Saturday when his car failed to take a bend on State Highway 12 near Hokianga in the remote Far North, then burst into flames. His name had not been released last night.

The road toll was one fewer than the number of people who died on the roads during Labour weekend last year. The highest Labour weekend road toll was in 1983 with 13 deaths.

Mr Lake said the upper parts of the North Island were likely to see more rain although it would not be as heavy as that falling in the south. Regions from Northland through to the Waikato could see passing showers "reasonably frequently" as well as thunderstorms in some places today.

More rain was also expected for eastern parts of the South Island with cold weather and the possibility of snow in areas along the Kaikoura coast and northern Canterbury to between 600 and 700 metres.

During the weekend, Mt Taranaki came in for the worst of the deluge with more than 200mm of rain falling by 6pm last night. Manawatu also got a soaking with 89mm while western parts of Nelson received 75mm.

The poor weather made the journey home for many people a long and uncomfortable drive. Travellers heading south to Auckland found traffic backed up to Wellsford, about 60km north of the city, yesterday evening. Police said there had been several reports of impatient motorists driving dangerously. Traffic was also heavy on other highways into Auckland from the south.

Additional reporting: NEWSTALK ZB, NZ HERALD STAFF