NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Homes evacuated as Wellington hit by Big Wet

Matthew Theunissen
By Matthew Theunissen, Matthew Theunissen and Russell Blackstock
Herald on Sunday·
12 Nov, 2016 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

At least five homes have been evacuated after three major land slips in the Wellington region this morning.

A series of land slips forced residents to evacuate their homes - and a main arterial route was closed by a fallen tree - as the capital was lashed by wild weather yesterday.

The Wellington region was drenched by three quarters its average November rainfall in just 12 hours.

And council officials are warning residents of Wellington's hilly suburbs to be wary of further weather chaos in the coming days, including the potential of further slips, with another wet week forecast.

Firefighters were rushed off their feet yesterday as the torrential rain brought down trees, flooded houses and caused water-logged banks to collapse.

Calls started coming in about 7.30am when a slip came down behind a property on Balfour St in Mornington, Fire Service central communications shift manager Jan Wills said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Due to its proximity to the house, residents were told to get out while the slip could be cleared.

"The slip is right up against the house but there doesn't appear to be any damage at this stage. Residents have been advised that it's not safe to enter," she said.

About an hour later, three houses were evacuated on Rangiora Ave in Kaiwharawhara due to another slip.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sandbags were been brought in to protect houses on the street while insurers came to the scene to assess damage.

About midday a third slip threatened a house on Military Rd in Northland, while a bank collapsed on a blind corner on Wadestown Rd to the north of the city.

Firefighters were also called to flooded houses in Kilbirnie and Newlands, and to clear fallen trees blocking roads in Aro Valley and Tawa.

Photo / Marty Melville
Photo / Marty Melville

A council spokesman last night said its call centre had received more than 400 calls from residents reporting flooding and slips.

Discover more

New Zealand

Rain leads to evacuations, road closure

12 Nov 01:18 AM
New Zealand

Woman with video camera at pools

12 Nov 02:50 AM

"City Council contractors have been kept busy clearing floodwaters from low-lying roads," he said.

Main Rd, in Tawa, was last night closed for several hours after a large tree fell on it, blocking traffic.

Diversions were put in place as contractors worked to remove it.

MetService meteorologist said Tom Adams said there was 72mm of rain in MetService's main Wellington monitoring station in Kelburn since midnight Friday.

"Typically in November there's 98mm of rain for the whole month and we've seen 72mm since midnight. That's very nearly three quarters the monthly rainfall," he said.

Wellington City Council civil defence local controller Simon Fleisher said people in the region should remain vigilant with more rain expected next week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Photo / Marty Melville
Photo / Marty Melville

"We're relativity well used to this sort of event - it's never particularly easy, either for the residents or for us - but we're always there to help where we can."

WeatherWatch analyst Aaron Wilkinson said a big front coming in from the Tasman on Monday would bring more wet weather.

"It will mean heavy rain in some parts of the central and lower North Island," he said.
But despite the changeable outlook, it will be warm up north from tomorrow.

"On Monday, temperatures could get up to 23 degrees in Northland and the east coast will also be warm.

"In the South Island, southerly winds will come in behind another low from the Tasman which will mean some more cold weather travelling up the country."

Weather in Auckland is expected to be patchy today, which should brighten up as the week wears on.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There will be cloud around on Monday morning ad a few showers," Wilkinson said. "But I expect this will clear up a good bit during the day and the sun will break through at times.

"I expect Auckland will see temperatures of about 17-18 degrees over the next few days, while it will be wet in the west of the country but drier in the east."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Crime

Crown says murder victim removed knife from body, stabbed attacker before dying

07 Jul 01:23 AM
New ZealandUpdated

Controversial plan for future of Takapuna Golf Course confirmed

07 Jul 12:49 AM
Auckland

Covid-19 Inquiry: Kiwis detail crippling losses, lost schooling and farewelling dying family

07 Jul 12:38 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Crown says murder victim removed knife from body, stabbed attacker before dying

Crown says murder victim removed knife from body, stabbed attacker before dying

07 Jul 01:23 AM

The defendant says he acted in self-defence against a home invader armed with a machete.

Controversial plan for future of Takapuna Golf Course confirmed

Controversial plan for future of Takapuna Golf Course confirmed

07 Jul 12:49 AM
Covid-19 Inquiry: Kiwis detail crippling losses, lost schooling and farewelling dying family

Covid-19 Inquiry: Kiwis detail crippling losses, lost schooling and farewelling dying family

07 Jul 12:38 AM
Church fire arson: Woman appears in court

Church fire arson: Woman appears in court

07 Jul 12:18 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP