Weather delays cricket, forces music festival to wait a day

Ground staff bring the covers onto a rainy Eden Park during the Pakistan vs South Africa game. Photo / Getty

A wild 24 hours delayed a crucial Cricket World Cup clash, brought flooding to Wellington and the South Island and forced the postponement of a music festival.

Gales topping 100km/h hammered the lower North Island, keeping emergency services busy with weather-related incidents.

Promoters of the Jim Beam Homegrown festival in Wellington had to delay the gig until today because of safety concerns.

They said the high winds made it too unsafe for the sell-out event to go ahead. It had attracted 17,000 fans and featured Shihad, I am Giant, Blacklistt, Shapeshifter and Devilskin.

Heavy rain in the capital triggered flash flooding, with motorists urged to use caution on State Highway 2 in the Hutt Valley and State Highway 1 near Johnsonville.

Flooding also closed several residential streets in Tawa.

Further north, showers disrupted the World Cup clash between South Africa and Pakistan.

Covers were brought on, right, and players were forced from the field for about 40 minutes shortly after 5pm.

A clean-up was underway last night in the South Island after heavy rain caused flooding on the West Coast.

By mid-afternoon, Westport had recorded 45mm of rain and Hokitika 40mm. WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said the two-hour blast of bad weather, and the cooler temperatures expected next week, were the first step towards winter.

By tonight, most regions would experience southwesterlies, meaning a cooler night. Tomorrow, it will feel a lot more like autumn.

Duncan said Tuesday would bring slightly warmer weather, but the hot, humid conditions of recent weeks would be gone for several days.

He said Auckland could expect highs in the mid-20s for the early part of the week.

Hotter conditions could return towards the weekend.

"The warmer weather isn't finished yet but we'll see more events of rain and wind, then becoming warm and dry again," he said.

MetService forecasters last night delivered good news for cricket fans. The forecast today for the Black Caps' match against Afghanistan in Napier is for windy but fine conditions.