Heavy rain causes havoc in Wellington

Firefighters in the Wellington region were called out 40 times overnight to weather-related incidents, as heavy rain pounded the capital.

Most incidents involved surface flooding, or fire alarms set off by the heavy downpour in businesses or homes.

A Wellington City Council spokesman said roading staff had been "flat tack" overnight, dealing with surface flooding and blocked drains.

All roads were now clear of slips.

Fire Service shift manager Belinda Beets said crews from central Wellington, Porirua and the Hutt Valley were all busy from about 10pm yesterday.

Quite a few homes had suffered significant damage to lower floors and basements due to surface flooding, Ms Beets said.

Many roads around the city had been impassable due to slips during the night, and city council staff had worked around the clock, she said.

Even the Fire Service itself had not been exempt - the Wellington City Fire Station was flooded, as staff discovered when they returned from a job early this morning.

The downpour follows widespread flooding across coastal Taranaki yesterday.

A number of houses were severely damaged near Okato after the Stony River burst its banks from flash flooding early yesterday morning.

Farmers reported widespread damage to property including culverts in the Rahotu area south of Okato.

Severe weather warnings were lifted yesterday after heavy rain battered parts of the North Island and kept firefighters in the far north busy with surface flooding-related incidents.

- NZPA