Rain turns into deluge in Golden Bay

Campers and residents in Golden Bay are drying off after enduring some sodden summer weather this weekend.

Metservice reported 40mm of rain falling in Nelson for the 24 hours up to midnight Saturday, while Motueka endured 138.4mm over the same period.

However, residents in Golden Bay were worst affected by the heavy rain with flooding and some recording between 100 and 300mm of rain.

Tasman District Council posted via social media that the Collingwood to Puponga Rd was closed at Taupata Bridge due to flooding on Saturday. A washout coming into the bridge had cut the road down to one lane before the water receded later in the afternoon.

Wharariki Rd and Freeman Access was also closed due to flooding.

At Pakawau Holiday Park, manager Gary Riordan said despite some campers having to change their overnight plans there had been no major flooding issues as a result of Saturday’s downpour.

‘‘We got about 180mm, but its all gone now and it was muchneeded really,’’ he said.

Wharariki Holiday Park owner Dion Leigh said on Sunday morning the water was still preventing access to Wharariki Rd, but expected the flooding to clear by lunchtime.

‘‘That would be the worst flooding I’ve seen in the 10 years I’ve been here,’’ he said.

‘‘I got home at 12 o’clock at night [on Friday evening] and there was nothing, but by seven in the morning, she was cranking.’’

Leigh said the Wharariki Stream, which ran past the campground and out to the Tasman Sea, was the only waterway that could relieve the water catchment between Cape Farewell and the Pillar Point lighthouse.

‘‘You’ve got to wait for 12 hours for the tide to let the water go and then everyone gets out – so we’ve got some who are stuck here at the holiday park for one day longer than they wanted to be and others are enjoying the peacefulness for another day.’’

Fire and Emergency crews in the region were called to several flood-related jobs within the region on Saturday.

FENZ Southern Communications shift manager Riwai Grace said a Nelson crew was called to a house in Van Diemen St to assist with a leak in the roof.

At Pohara, near Takaka, a pump was set up to help clear surface flooding on Selwyn St.

While the rain had cleared around the region by Sunday, rain was expected to return on Tuesday, with showers and heavy falls expected to continue through to the following Tuesday.