Wild weather disrupts both ferries and flights
Pin pulled on redneck float
Cook Strait ferry, the Bluebridge Straitsman, hit a navigation light off the end of Kings Wharf yesterday as the central North Island was battered by wild weather.
Wellington harbourmaster Grant Nalder confirmed the Straitsman required two attempts at berthing at lunch time in the capital because of the ‘‘not particularly nice’’ conditions.
The minor incident would be investigated by both the harbour team as well as Bluebridge.
Several flights in and out of Wellington Airport were also delayed with one flight from Singapore diverted to Auckland.
Rainfall reached warning levels in parts of Wellington city. Rising river levels also closed State Highway 53 near Martinborough.
In 24 hours, the Remutaka Hill summit saw 63mm of rainfall, while 30mm was recorded at MetService’s Kelburn observatory in Wellington, MetService meteorologist Andrew James said.
Wellington City Council said a tree fell on a car on Randwick Rd in the suburb of Northland yesterday, taking down some power lines with it. Part of the road was cordoned off while repairs were made.
State Highway 53 between Martinborough and Featherston was closed at the Waihenga Bridge because of rising river levels. The bridge, 2km from Martinborough, is the main western access point to the town, but alternative routes remain to the north and east.
The Ruamahanga River rose above the 4.5 metre mark yesterday and could remain high as rain continued to fall in parts of the region.
A South Wairarapa District Council spokesman said the bridge could be closed until this morning.
Wellington commuter ferry service East by West cancelled some trips due to weather conditions.
Meteorologist Rob Kerr said the wet weather was caused by a couple of slow moving fronts bringing persistent rain.
Dunedin has already seen record amounts of rain this month, so Kerr said it was good news the heavier rain was staying further north, but easterlies were driving cloud and occasional drizzle over the region for a few more days.
The upper North Island has a very different weather story this week, with fine days interrupted by potential afternoon showers or thunderstorms, so even regions outside of the severe weather warnings and watches may see heavy falls or even hail. A ‘‘redneck’’ float will not feature in Nelson’s Santa Parade, after organisers told its creator they did not want the theme and its controversial trappings. Nelson jeweller Glen James decided to pull the pin on Sunday’s event after meeting organisers in the wake of the float’s contentious appearance at the Richmond parade last weekend. The ‘‘Rednek Xmas’’ float featured two red utes with Confederate flags on the bonnets. The flags are a divisive racial issue in the United States. ‘‘If you can’t have a float that’s your own, really, what is the point?’’ James said.