Lightning hits Ka¯piti Coast homes
Days of wild weather across the Wellington region cut power, caused flooding and slips, and even saw several homes hit by lightning
Police received more than 40 weather-related callouts on Sunday as wind and rain whipped through the greater Wellington region. The theme continued yesterday when homes and a school at Raumati Beach, on the Ka¯piti Coast, were struck by lightning.
Fire communications shift manager Mike Wanoa said they were first called to a house hit by lightning on Rosetta Rd about 1.20pm yesterday. ‘‘There was damage to a power box and also to a wall in the house.’’
While in the area, the fire service attended a second home hit by lightning that had damaged a slider door, he said.
Power was also cut to about 70 homes in Upper Hutt’s Akatarawa Valley after a slip on Sunday brought down power lines.
About 100 cubic metres of material, including trees came, down in the slip, which blocked Akatarawa Rd. Electricity was restored by 3pm yesterday.
Meanwhile, Grays Rd in Plimmerton, and the Riverbank carpark and Block Rd area of Lower Hutt reopened yesterday after being closed by flooding on Sunday night.
The Petone Working Men’s Club on Udy St also flooded when stormwater burst through a culvert in the club’s eastern car park. Between 200 and 250 people were in the club at the time on Sunday, with many sitting down for tea when water began entering the building’s bottom.
General manager Aaron Kirby said patrons were quickly moved outside or upstairs while staff tried to sandbag the doors.
Water was being pushed out the culvert at such pressure that it was being forced four feet into the air. The floor was covered in murky ‘‘ankle-deep’’ water.
The building flooded in similar circumstances in 2016. The club had only replaced its dance floor from that event in February this year.
‘‘You’ve got to look at the bright side,’’ Kirby said. ‘‘We’ve had a huge amount of support from our members, as well as the Upper Hutt Cossie Club, Porirua [Club] and Johnsonville [Club] offering their support.’’
The club would be open again in a limited capacity by tomorrow morning, he said. Activities would be moved upstairs.
Wellington had almost 50mm of rain on Sunday.
Police reported a ‘‘large number’’ of slips and surface flooding across the region, including one on State Highway 58 that left the road temporarily closed.
High winds buffeting the country also closed the Mt Hutt and Porters skifields, as well as the Upper Buller Gorge in the South Island.
In Waikato, the wet weather cut electricity to 684 properties north of Huntly, in the Kimihia area. In Hillcrest, about 55 homes were also without power
In Huntly, strong winds brought down a tree onto powerlines, while a truck hit a bank on SH39 near Pirongia.
Today, MetService is forecasting snow to lower to 1000 metres in the North Island.