A Wairarapa highway to a long weekend tourist hotspot is closed and motorists are being warned to watch for flooding on stretches of highway north of Wellington this morning.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says there is flooding over a 15km stretch of State Highway 1 between Waikanae and Otaki.At least one road in Lower Hutt was left impassable by deep floodwater overnight but with the water receding it has since reopened.
A bridge on SH53 linking Martinborough to Featherston has also been flooded and is impassable after heavy rain lashed the lower North Island yesterday.
Last night councils across the Wellington region closed a number of streets because of rising floodwaters.
The Hutt City Council closed Harcourt Werry Drive from Kennedy Good Bridge to Conolly St and asked people to stay off roads and avoid the rising Hutt River.
Block Rd in Lower Hutt was closed because of flooding but reopened just before 9am.
