Rivers rose in Manawatu
One person was evacuated from the banks of the Pohangina River and the Oroua River turned on a surge, while most of the Manawatu and Whanganui region escaped the effects of Cyclone Cook.
Horizons Regional Council staff closely monitored both rivers, which were forecast to get the most rainfall in their headwaters, from Thursday night through to Friday morning.
At 10.30pm on Thursday, one person was evacuated from the Totara Reserve Camping Ground on the banks of the Pohangina.
And the Oroua River also rose abruptly on Friday morning.
Glen Oroua farmer Tim Saunders said it was like watching a flash flood.
‘‘The water flow went from its normal low rate to actually coming out of its channel in about five minutes.
‘‘If you had a surfboard, you could’ve rode the wave that came down.’’
Saunders said massive rafts of timber came down the river with the surge.
‘‘Pretty impressive, and a little bit scary,’’ he said.
The Oroua River level at Kopane rose from 3.39 metres to 5.91m in less than 31⁄2 hours, and peaked around 6.2m.
Staff investigated, but the levels started receding before they would trigger the 6.8m flood management plan.
The Manawatu River was rising on Friday, but was expected to peak at 4.2m at the former Palmerston North Teachers College between 6pm and 7pm.
‘‘If you had a surfboard, you could've rode the wave.’’ Tim Saunders, farmer