Winds whip up mayhem around region
Raging winds sent a dinghy flying into a man, tore off roofs and knocked over trees in the Nelson and Tasman region.
A 71-year-old man suffered severe facial injuries after being hit by the alloy dinghy in high winds at Torrent Bay in Abel Tasman National Park at 4.45pm yesterday.
The four-metre boat with outboard motor had been on the beach when the strong wind picked it up and it struck the Takaka man.
He was cared for by bystanders until the Nelson Marlborough rescue helicopter arrived and flew him to Nelson Hospital where he was in a stable condition today.
At Nelson Airport the wind reached 45 knots, or 83kmh, yesterday.
Strong winds uprooted trees, including one at Aniseed Valley which blocked traffic.
Nelson Fire Service had multiple callouts from 4.30pm including to a shorted transformer in Parkers Rd, Tahunanui, sending out smoke that filled the neighbouring Red Cross building.
Firefighters also attended when roofing blew off a building at Nelson Airport, roofing blew off a house in Stansell Ave in Tahunanui and a tree fell into a Tahunanui Dr home.
At the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park, campers took down about 30 tents because of the wind. Manager Ann Cumpstone said campers rallied to secure tents for those who were away. Small dome tents fared the worst, and the wind split a big willow tree.
Firefighters were also called to the Rising Sun pub in Waimea Rd because tarpaulin covering damage from a fire last month was flapping but it was too windy to get to, said senior station officer Steve Shackleton.
In Richmond, volunteer firefighters went to six callouts because of the strong wind. Fire chief Ralph Lonsdale said the danger of roofing flying off a former fertiliser building in Ranzau Rd meant police had to close the road.
The firefighters also weighted down stacked tin in McPherson St which was heading to the busy Richmond deviation, tied down a garden shed on Main Rd Hope, and took down a tree which fell on a Richmond home.
The wind blew over a 32-yearold golden elm in Tahunanui, sending it crashing on to a neighbouring property.
The large tree, planted in Pam and Rex Lucas’ garden, was uprooted and landed on the house next door around 5.45pm.
Mrs Lucas said she had been out watering the garden when she heard a sound ‘‘like a hurricane coming through’’ and decided to head inside out of the wind.
Mr Lucas said he had heard sounds and thought their sunroof might have been damaged but it was not until another neighbour knocked on their door they realised the tree had fallen. Mrs Lucas said it was amazing the tree had only damaged the fence and guttering of the other house.
The strong winds, lack of rain and high temperatures have put fire managers on tenterhooks.
Yesterday’s blasting southwesterly winds took the fire risk to extreme through parts of the region and firefighters asked that no-one light any fires and that farmers and horticulturists check old burn areas.
Waimea Rural Fire Authority operations manager Doug Ashford said Tasman’s coastal strip, the eastern hills of Atawhai and the Maitai Valley were tinderboxes.
He asked landowners to secure loose material, particularly discarded roofing iron, so it would not blow into power lines. Rural fire forces have already dealt with several fires which have re-ignited from old burn piles or power lines severed by flying debris.
Rural firefighters backed by two helicopters spent Sunday night fighting an isolated fire in northern Hira Forest which ignited after a lightning strike. Firefighters would check the area again today, he said.
Ngatimoti Volunteer Fire Force controller Graham Durrant said firefighters were called to a grass fire in Greenhill Rd yesterday afternoon which started after fly-
‘‘The weather has been giving us grief. Conditions are extremely dry. People need to be very cautious.’’ Mike Riddell Motueka Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer
ing debris broke a powerline over a paddock.
Motueka Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Mike Riddell said the brigade had been busy responding to 14 calls over the last seven days. Most were fires fuelled by the weather conditions.
‘‘The weather has been giving us grief. Conditions are extremely dry. People need to be very cautious.’’
Department of Conservation Motueka area manager Martin Rodd this morning had not fielded any reports of track damage from yesterday’s winds, but asked that trampers report downed trees to DOC. Staff were checking the Wangapeka Track today, he said.
DOC Golden Bay area manager John Mason said he had not heard any reports of wind damage, but his main concern was the fire risk.
‘‘If a fire starts in winds like yesterday’s it will take a huge amount to stop it. Let’s hope we get a little of the forecast rain to dampen things down a bit.’’
Nelson Forests Ltd chief executive Lees Seymour said there had been no reports of wind damage by this morning. Forestry crews had left the forests before the winds hit yesterday.