Power cut to 2000 Wairarapa homes

DAMAGE: David McMaster cleans up after a shop lost the outdoor section of its ceiling in high winds on Sunday night.

About 2000 homes in Wairarapa were without power for most of yesterday after a blustery Sunday night affected linemen's ability to fix faults.

Yesterday Powerco said there would be about 600 customers still without power by morning.

Powerco had been able to get helicopters in the air to survey the damage and access remote areas of the network.

"We expect to get the majority of customers back on by the end of the day barring further severe weather and will also look to get generators out to customers in some of the remote areas where repairs are likely to take several days," Powerco spokesperson Dean Stevenson said.

Power cuts were experienced in Masterton, Riversdale Beach, Homewood, Pongaroa, Owahanga, Akitio, Haunui, Kaituna, Settlement Rd, Soldiers Rd, Te Wharau and Tiraumea among other remote areas.

Mr Stevenson said trees were responsible for many of the power cuts over the weekend.

In a number of cases, power cuts could have been avoided if people had maintained trees on their property, he said.

"The majority of these could have been avoided if tree owners had called in the professionals to clear their trees from lines."

Mike Milburn, Te Wharau, who said yesterday he had been without power for two days, would agree. In April he complained that owners of private pine plantations were not clearing their trees away from power lines.

On Sunday night the underside of the roof covering the outdoor area outside Subway and United Video in Masterton collapsed in the wind.

Fernridge School on Upper Plain Rd in Masterton advised parents to keep their children at home yesterday due to the power loss.

"Still no power at school today - that means no lights and no sewerage! If you can stay at home do!" Fernridge posted on Facebook.

MetService has lifted its severe wind warning for Wairarapa as the weather front which brought rain and strong northwesterlies over the weekend weakens and moves north.

However, MetService was warning of snow on the Rimutaka Hill Rd yesterday after a cold blast hit the country.

"Periods of snow flurries are expected about the top of the road late afternoon and early evening [Monday], 1cm or less may accumulate about the summit," it said.