Storm moves up east coast as motorists told to stay home

12.00pm

Police are telling motorists to stay at home for the rest of the day unless their travel is essential as the lower half of the North Island cleans up after a storm closed many roads and caused serious flooding.

The storm which began moving up the east coast of the North Island today, has caused at least one serious road accident, closed most main roads north of Wellington and led to a state of emergency on the Kapiti Coast.

Searches are continuing for two people missing in different parts of the North Island during the overnight storm.

Searchers were out at first light on the Coromandel Peninsula after a woman disappeared when the four wheel drive vehicle she was in overturned as it tried to cross a flooded stream.

Several people scrambled out of the vehicle in the middle of the swollen Rangihau Stream near Coroglen but police said the 18-year-old woman disappeared and has not been seen since.

At Pukerua Bay, north of Wellington, a vehicle was washed off State Highway One by heavy seas pounding the coast road last night. Its driver is still missing.

On the Kapiti coast north of Wellington the heavy rain caused severe flooding and a civil defence emergency was declared for most of the coastal area.

Hamish McDonald from the police communications centre in Wellington said police were "flat tack" helping with the clean up and helping motorists through flooded roads as the storm moved north but he said motorists would be foolish to venture out unless their travel was essential.

At first light today the eastern coast of the North Island began to feel the full brunt of the storm as it moved north.

Civil Defence co-ordinator for the Kapiti Coast area Rodger McCormack said the state of civil emergency was unlikely to be lifted until tomorrow morning.

He said most of the 200 people who were trapped in their cars overnight had been taken back to their cars by bus and had returned to where they came from until the roads were fully reopened.

By mid morning only 18 people were still being housed in Paekakariki.

The storm effectively cut Wellington off from the rest of the country and the main state highway was not expected to reopen until midday at the earliest, Mr McCormack said.

The rail link north of Wellington was not expected to reopen until mid afternoon.

"The declaration will stay in place at least for today and well into tomorrow.

"We need to get a good handle on what is going on, who has been affected and what the roads are like."

The heavy weather warnings were lifted early today but high winds continued around Napier and Gisborne and most main roads remained closed north of Wellington, including State Highway 1 from Paramatta to Paraparaumu and the Rimutaka Hill road although some traffic was getting through the Rimutakas.

All roads were due to be re-assessed at midday as the heavy rain was followed by persistent drizzle which did not allow the flood waters to clear, Mr McDonald said.

"If you don't have to travel anywhere, especially in the lower half of the North Island and getting out of Wellington, if it is not essential we are saying allow the emergency services deal with it and do the mop up.

"We don't want to start dealing with crashes," Mr McDonald said.

A flash flood carrying tonnes of debris forced about 30 people to flee a motel at Paekakariki, 42km north of Wellington last night.

Local residents say the Belvedere Motel was worst hit as the flood swept down from the hills and into the Kapiti Coast township.

Petrol station owner Ian Johnston said he had a lucky escape but the neighbouring motel was virtually destroyed.

"The motel is stuffed mate. You might as well put a bullet through it," he said.

"Water and debris were coming down in a huge wave, the sheer force was pushing down on the motel and out onto the road (State Highway)."

Mr Johnston said his business was saved by the brave actions of a bulldozer driver who cut a channel though the debris to divert water away from his garage.

Paekakariki residents believe a slip blocked a culvert above and south of the township. When the backed-up water broke through it moved northwards through the township and up State Highway 1.

The town's business area was up to 1 metre deep in water and this morning still remains covered in mud.

Floodwater continues to block low-lying areas including SH1 just north of the town.

Many of the residents were at the Paekakariki Hotel watching Wellington's rugby team lose to Otago in a rain-sodden match in the capital last night.

Resident Dick Jackson said they tried to keep the water out with little success.

"We were forced out the windows because the mud and water was seeping through the doors and holding them closed," Mr Jackson said.

"We tried to do what we could, but it was pretty impossible to stop."

Since the early hours of the morning. teams of trucks and bulldozers have been trying to remove debris from around the motel, but at least one car remained lodged in over a metre of mud and rocks.

Motel units are in some places covered up to 1.5 metres in gravel mud and large boulders.

The local motel owner, who did not want to be named , said she was too distressed to talk to the media.

"That's people's property up there they are trying to dig out... everyone got out safe that's the main thing."

Paekakariki cafe owner Earl Zapf said the cafe had been a having a quiet night when the flash flood hit.

"We only had a couple of bookings and no one turned up, then all of a sudden there was this gush of water, it was quite a sight."

Mr Zapf and his partner tried to get out.

"But you couldn't walk through it. It was coming down the road and into the cafe... It was coming through the back entrance and gushing up through the toilets.

The couple hope insurance will cover the extensive damage.

"We've only been open for three weeks. It's all just been painted and refurbished... it's not just mud. It will all have to be taken out and sanitised.

"Luckily we are insured -- well I think we're covered. If not we're stuffed."

The couple were impressed by how locals pulled together during the crisis.

"In some ways it was real good because everyone came down and helped out. There was a real good community spirit about it... So later on we took our food and gave it to the 80 odd people down at the hall who had to leave their homes."

More than 80 residents sheltered at St Peters Hall in the village when water poured into their homes. It was unclear if they stayed overnight.

- NZPA