Gita touches down
Seven states of emergency declared More than a dozen homes evacuated Wind gusts up to 150kmh
The South Island has been badly lashed by ex-Cyclone Gita, with many residents evacuated from its firing line while others hunkered down for the night.
The storm hit hard and fast when it made landfall late yesterday, bringing heavy rain, high winds and rising water levels. Trees were downed, streets and homes flooded and power cut to some areas.
Christchurch city and the Buller, Grey, Westland, Nelson, Tasman and Selwyn districts were all placed under states of emergency to help with evacuations.
In the North Island, Taranaki also declared a state of emergency because of dangerous wind gusts that cut power to thousands of homes.
Air New Zealand cancelled flights in and out of many centres, but Jetstar flights and Cook Strait ferries continued running.
Schools were closed in some districts and residents told to prepare for high winds. Motorists have been urged to continue to take extreme care on roads today.
Kaiko¯ ura received the biggest drenching, with about
200 millimetres of rain falling yesterday – equalling three months’ rain in one day. Wind gusts of up to 150kmh battered parts of both islands.
Buller residents in the settlements of Hector and Granity were given no choice to evacuate last night as conditions worsened. The area had also been hard hit by sea swells during ex-Cyclone Fehi less than three weeks ago.
State Highway 1 both south and north of Kaiko¯ ura was closed throughout yesterday and the Inland Road closed just after 8pm, cutting off the town from the rest of the country.
Three people were taken to Grey Base Hospital with minor injuries after their campervan rolled on State Highway 6, north of Greymouth, and authorities swept the road to check other travellers were safe as it was closed due to surface flooding and strong winds.
Elsewhere on the West Coast, 10 milk tankers were stranded and 25 tourists had to stay overnight in a community hall at Whataroa. A driver was uninjured when a car was swept off the road on SH1 at Hapuku north of Kaiko¯ ura. Cars were trapped temporarily by slips on Takaka Hill in Golden Bay, and the hill road resembled a river.
In Motueka, a horse was swept down the Motueka River and police were last night trying to reach it.
In Christchurch, residents of riverfront homes self-evacuated about nightfall. The city’s Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre was opened for any evacuees, including those with pets, needing accommodation.
On low-lying Eastern Tce, Emily Dunstall, Wayne Lovelock and their two young daughters headed to a school friend’s house for the night.
‘‘We would normally linger longer, but our experience is you wake up and it’s around the house,’’ Emily Dunstall said.
They ‘‘didn’t get the cars out fast enough’’ during last July’s deluge and have previously needed to escape out the back of their section in the dark. Neighbour Andrew Thomson would not leave his home of 25 years. ‘‘We’ve had worse. We look after each other around here.’’
The Christchurch City Council will this year dredge several decades of silt build-up from the Heathcote River, and has agreed to buy up to 35 flood-prone homes alongside it.
The number of riverside homes at risk of flooding has risen since the earthquakes.
The city council said its wastewater system would come under the most pressure this morning. It asked residents to delay laundry and dishwashing and keep showers short.