Tree crashes into carpark, rowers rescued from lake

There will be free firewood available in Alexandra after heavy winds brought down a large poplar tree behind the Warehouse yesterday.

Limerick St was closed off to the public after one of the trees lining the Clutha River snapped and fell into the back carpark.

Luckily,the carpark was relatively empty and the tree missed the parked cars.

The poplar was chopped up and left on the side of the road and Mr Sparrow did not expect it to still be there by morning.

Power was out for a short time at Galloway, east of Alexandra, and Island Block, near Millers Flat, yesterday morning, with a few hundred people affected. However, Delta Utility Services spokesman Graeme Johnson said there were no other problems caused by wind in the area.

Meanwhile, rowers as young as 15 had to be rescued from Lake Dunstan after their boats became swamped by heavy waves on Labour Day and an old fishing boat was also blown across the lake in Cromwell yesterday as gale-force winds played havoc across the region.

Between 40 and 50 rowers in the Lake Dunstan Ultra Distance race were left stranded at Champagne Gully when their boats started filling up with water.

Dunstan Arm Rowing Club spokesman Quentin Annan said only five of the 40 rowers made it to the finish line but not without having to bail out water from their boats first.

"In the end we had to abandon the regatta and tried to rescue everyone that was in the water. It was real chaos," he said.

The Clyde Coastguard rescue boat was called out and Dunstan Boat Club volunteers, and friends and relatives who were already on the water pitched in to help.

Some of the boats were damaged but no on suffered any injuries, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News