Heavy rain hits Nelson and Tasman

LATEST: Heavy rain overnight in Golden Bay has seen a river change course, isolating a commune and carving out a substantial area of farmland.

---

Have you been affected by the heavy rain in Nelson? Email your news, photos and videos to reporters@press.co.nz.

---

Nelson and Tasman residents are on edge as rain falls in the area, just a fortnight after a deluge that caused slips and flooding.

Nelson-Tasman Civil Defence co-ordinator Jim Frater was not sure how many people at the Tui Community in Wainui Bay were affected by the washout of the Wainui River, but he was confident they would be OK.

"It's a rural area and they will have sufficient resources to see themselves through," he said.

Engineers were assessing the washout, where the river had carved out a new course for nearly a kilometre.

Rain started falling in Golden Bay early yesterday afternoon and had been heavy at times, but in Nelson, the heaviest falls were about 10 to 15 millimetres an hour.

Some Golden Bay culverts had been unable to cope, and in some places runoff was having to be diverted down roads because tomos - limestone sinkholes - that the water normally seeped into were still blocked.

About 600 young people at the Maitai Valley Motor Camp, near Nelson, overnight were reported by police to mostly be in good spirits, Frater said.

While some people had left this morning after the rain overnight, many more were expected at arrive for supervised New Year's Eve celebrations hosted by the camp for 16 to 30-year-olds.

The Matai River was rising because of the rain, but would not get to levels where roads would have to be closed.

In general, areas that had been damaged by the rain a fortnight ago were being watched closely, Frater said.

Click here for road closures and river watch information.

Despite a period of pleasant weather over the Christmas period, many places remained waterlogged, and there could be further slips at areas of previous slipping.

Rain was expected to ease to showers later today as a southerly change came through, Frater said.

Nelson-Tasman Civil Defence said that by late morning the rain had caused few new problems, although there was extensive flooding in many areas of Golden Bay, particularly around Pohara and Motupipi.

The Civil Defence emergency operations centre covering Nelson-Tasman was activated early today to co-ordinate the response, and Civil Defence staff and emergency services were active overnight in Golden Bay.

Four Pohara Valley residents moved out of their homes to a marae overnight, but police said their homes were fine and they would be able to return today.

Rivers in Golden Bay had come up overnight, with the Aorere River rising to annual flood levels, but there were no major problems.

In a severe-weather warning about 9.30am today, MetService said significant heavy rain had fallen in the Nelson region and northern Marlborough, and further heavy rain was likely early this afternoon before easing then clearing in most places tonight.

Significant rain was also expected in Wellington and Kapiti today.

The largest amounts of rain in the next few days were expected about Taranaki, the central North Island high country around Tongariro National Park and in Bay of Plenty. In those areas, 100mm to 200mm was expected, with up to 250mm possible in the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty.

MARLBOROUGH FLOODING

Marlborough's Rai River and its feeders burst their banks this morning, causing flooding in places on State Highway 6 in the Rai Valley.

However, the road remained open.

Marlborough Roads senior assets manager Steve Murrin said 50kmh speed restrictions were in place on the Rai Valley stretch of SH6 and he urged people to slow down and drive to the conditions.

Road crews were working on a slip near Momorangi Bay in Queen Charlotte Dr that has limited the road to one lane. There wre also many small slips in Port Underwood and the Marlborough Sounds.

The rain was expected to ease this afternoon, Murrin said.

Rai Valley fire chief Trevor Holdstock said the brigade had not yet been called out, but it was possible if the rain continued.

The Ronga Rd resident said the Ronga River, a tributary of the Rai River, had breached its banks when he got up at 7.30am today.

The river was across the road in five places, but the road was still passable, he said.

"It might not be impassable this morning, but the way it's raining now I think it it will be later today."

He had spoken to a valley resident whose rain gauge had recorded 250mm overnight.

He hoped the heavy-rain forecast for today had come through during the night and would begin to ease off soon, but it was still steady about 10am.

Rai Valley dairy farmer Faye Leov said her Bulford Rd property was cut off by by the Rai River, which had burst its banks in the night.

The river was beginning to merge with a small creek that ran in front of their house. Almost all the paddocks in front of the house to the road were covered with water, but State Highway 6 was still open, she said.

"It's just a year ago that we had the really major flood - it was yesterday a year ago."

The rain had not eased and it was looking like another major flood could be on the cards, she said.

"I've seen it much worse, but at this stage it's not looking good because of the fact that it's not stopped raining."

They moved the cows to safer ground last night after the weather warnings were issued, she said.

"We managed to milk this morning, but if the river keeps rising we won't be able to this afternoon."

The floodwaters will cause a lot of damage to the pastures and a big mess would need to be cleaned up, she said.

'A WALLOPING'

Barbara Stuart, of Cable Bay in north Nelson, which was particularly hard hit in the pre-Christmas rainstorm, said they were on guard through the night but everything appeared to be holding up.

They recorded "a walloping" of 108mm of rain on their farm from 5pm yesterday to 8am today, and were expecting more this morning before the weather began to ease.

"It's hosing down but everything seems to be holding up. We were up at 5am checking and spent the day yesterday clearing culverts. We got some sleep until about 3am, when heavy showers hit until about 5am," Stuart said.

She said water was coming out of the slips they could see but they had not been further up Cable Bay Rd to check whether further damage had occurred.

The road was closed to the public since the last deluge, as contractors work to clear slips and repair damage.

Stuart said that despite attempts by some members of the public to get through, it remained too dangerous for sightseers, and she asked that people respect the cordon.

Contractors working on the Cable Bay Rd this morning said the rain was shifting soil on slip faces off the road and were worried more would come down.

Iwa Rd residents Diane and John McKinnon, whose home was recently cut off by a large slip, were confident things would not escalate.

"It all looks fine. I just had a look out the back and I don't think there's been as much rain or the same intensity as last time," John McKinnon said.

Rocks Rd, part of the State Highway 60 route through Nelson, which was closed after the slips a fortnight ago, remained open this morning.

Grenville Tce resident Ron Orme, who was evacuated twice by the flood a fortnight ago, said the stormwater system seemed to be working well.

Group recovery manager Nelson-Tasman Mike Schruer said today there were still 40 homes which had been red-stickered that residents could not go into, and between 20 and 30 homes where no overnight access was allowed, as well as more with various restrictions.

It is now in the process of issuing section 124 notices under the Building Act.

CAPITAL DRENCHED

Meanwhile, heavy rain was causing some flooding in Wellington.

Residents in Miramar and Seatoun reported flooding on their properties, Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said.

"We are receiving reports of water going on to properties but not into their houses,'' he said.

"We have got our crews out busily clearing drains, but hopefully the rain won't carry on as heavily as it has been this morning."

Some streets near the beachfront, such as Ludlam St in Seatoun, had flooding.

- © Fairfax NZ News