Winds wreak havoc in Alexandra

A pole lies across a footpath on Brandon St, Alexandra, after gale-force winds snapped it, damaging a fence and a garden. Photo / Tom Kitchin

Winds gusting up to 95kmh wreaked havoc and terrorised Alexandra residents for about 90 minutes yesterday afternoon.

A pole and a tree snapped and fell into the front garden of a Brandon St property, and there were multiple calls to properties with lifting roofs and broken fences.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand southern communications shift manager Daryl Ball said the service received eight callouts between 3.15pm and 4.40pm yesterday.

MetService meteorologist Sarah Haddon said winds in Alexandra peaked at 95kmh with a mean speed of 60kmh.

It was caused by a strong northwesterly front travelling over the South Island, which turned into strong southerlies later in the day.

Mrs Haddon said the strong wind gusts were "relatively rare'' for Alexandra.

She said Nugget Point in the Catlins was one of the worst-hit areas yesterday, with winds gusting up to 115kmh.

Swampy Summit in Dunedin also recorded gusts up to 115kmh and it was very windy in Queenstown and Wanaka with gusts up to 80kmh, she said.

"We wanted it to look good for Christmas but now it's just gone.''

Her husband Alan said he was not looking forward to cleaning up the damage.

"It's a bit of a bugger really, but it'll be fine ... it's an act of nature ... I'll have to clean it up, just get on to it and get the job done.

"No power tonight or telephone, so we'll have to go out for tea.''

Firefighters remove a fallen branch from Great King St after strong winds in Dunedin yesterday. Photo / Peter McIntosh

An Aurora spokesperson said last night a tree was blown on to the lines and the sudden weight, combined with the extreme winds, caused the pole to snap two metres above ground.

The pole has been replaced.

It is the fourth pole to fall in the town since August. Previous falls happened in Eureka St in August, Chicago St in October and Ventry St earlier this month.