Highway bridge washed out, students stranded in mountain lodge as severe weather batters the West Coast

Thursday, 8 November 2018

The approach to the Goat Creek bridge on State Highway 73 has been washed out as heavy rain batters the West Coast.

Heavy rain and wild winds left dozens of students stranded, highways closed and destroyed the approach to a bridge.

The approach to Goat Creek bridge, on State Highway 73 near Otira, was badly hit by flooding on Thursday.

Otira resident Jess Dempsey described the rain as: 'Heavy, and then it gets heavier, and then it eases to heavy again. You walk outside and you're immediately drenched.'

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) regional systems manager Pete Connors said contractors would be on-site on Friday morning to assess the damage and work to re-open the highway.

The approach to the Goat Creek bridge on SH73 has been washed out in the deluge.

Flooding closed SH6 from Hokitika to Haast and both highways would remain closed overnight.

In the midst of the bad weather, the body of a woman was found in the Haupiri River on the West Coast early on Friday morning. Stuff understands the woman was part of the Gloriavale community.

TEENS TRAPPED

Otago Boys' High School deputy rector Mark Hooper said 25 students were staying an extra night in the school's lodge in the Mt Aspiring National Park after a creek became too high to cross safely.

'There is a tonne of food in our lodge so they'll get a good feed tonight I'm sure,' he said.

The trip was an annual year 9 and 10 camp to the lodge in the Matukituki Valley. The teacher in charge had made contact using a mountain radio, telling the school creek had swollen overnight and could not be walked across safely. Parents were being kept well informed, Hooper said.

He hoped the creek would go down and allow them to come out safely on Friday morning.

Heavy rain in the Otira Gorge has damaged the bridge over Goat Creek.

RAIN MOVES UP COUNTRY

Another active front is forecast to move slowly north over the upper South and the North Island overnight into Friday, as many regions are already feeling the effects of the storm.

The front is expected to bring further heavy rain to parts of central and southern New Zealand. The heaviest rain is expected to continue in the west of the South Island and also about the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers.

Westland mayor Bruce Smith describes the weather situation in Hokitika, where a partially submerged campervan can be seen in the flooded Hokitika River. (First published November 2018)

MetService has issued heavy rain warnings for the ranges of Buller and western Nelson including Nelson Lakes, the headwaters of Canterbury lakes and rivers and Westland from Hokitika northwards. In places, another 110mm of rain is expected to accumulate in places that are already sodden.

It's also issued strong wind warnings for Marlborough, Wellington and southern Wairarapa, where severe gale northwesterlies gusting 120 kmh in exposed places are expected through Friday morning.

There are also road snowfall warnings for Arthur's Pass (SH73), Porters Pass (SH73), Lindis Pass (SH8) and the Crown Range Road overnight, with 5-10cm of snow expected on the passes and about 1cm expected on the Crown Range.

The North Island can expect cloud and rain on Friday, with heavy falls in some places.

While strong northwesterlies preceded the fronts on Thursday, cooler south to southwest winds will follow the fronts as they move north.

STUDENTS STUCK AT SCHOOL

Harihari's South Westland Area School principal, Mark Caplen, said Thursday's weather had been 'pretty dreadful'.

Flooding on the grounds at South Westland Area School, south of Hokitika.

The school closed at lunchtime, but the roads north to Hokitika and south to Franz Josef were closed due to slips and flooding.

Police had arranged to escort some students north to Ross.

Pupils at South Westland Area School have been escorted home by police after flooding closed the state highway.

'They all got back home safely. The kids really enjoyed the police escort. The roads are very bad. There is a lot of water and multiple slips,' Caplen said.

Flood water crosses the highway between Franz Josef and Harihari on the South Island's West Coast.

The school will remain closed on Friday.

NON-STOP RAIN

MetService meteorologist Ravi Kandula said Greymouth had recorded 72 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours to 7pm on Thursday, while 92mm had fallen in Hokitika and 180mm in Franz Josef.

'Most of the West Coast is going to be pretty fine starting from [Friday] evening once those showers clear. Saturday, Sunday, Monday – it's not a bad place to be.'

The rain on the east coast was 'just starting to get going' in place like Oamaru and Timaru.

The tide was in at this whitebaiter's hut at Harihari. 'But with whitebait on the menu tonight the residents aren't too worried,' one reader told Stuff.

Westland Civil Defence opened a welfare centre in Harihari for tourists and locals needing support. Other centres were on standby. Schools across the Westland district closed as a precaution on Thursday.

Local Civil Defence controller Simon Bastion said flood levels on the Hokitika, Waiho and Haast rivers were being monitored, with the Haast River rising steeply during Thursday.

The rain has not ceased since late on Wednesday. One reader told Stuff the Bealey River is 'the highest I have seen for a while'.

There were still fears of localised surface flooding around Hokitika township overnight, so additional mobile pumps had been distributed.

High winds and rain are forecast in the latest MetService severe weather warnings.

Kate Le Comte said the Bealey River was the highest she had ever seen in her three years living in Arthur's Pass, though some locals had told her they had seen it higher.

She said the rain had not eased since 5.30pm on Wednesday.

Wet weather at Franz Josef on the West Coast at 10am on Thursday.

'The heavy rain and wind scared my poor puppy dog at 3am. It's very wet. The waterfalls are looking fantastic at the moment,' she said.

THE FORECAST

On Saturday, the North Island can expect showers becoming isolated in the morning and fine breaks increasing. The South Island will be fine apart from isolated showers, mainly about the ranges. Also areas of cloud morning and night.

Sunday will see fine breaks in the afternoon for the North Island with isolated showers, mainly about the ranges. In the South Island, a few showers in the west will turn to rain in Fiordland. There will be high cloud with scattered rain from afternoon in the south and fine with isolated afternoon showers elsewhere.

Saturday is likely to bring rain to the Chatham Islands that will clear in the morning as a strong northwesterly turns to a strong southerly, easing later. Fine spells and light winds are expected on Sunday.