Wild weather causes road chaos but worst rain has passed

Sunday, 6 September 2020

State Highway 6 through the Lower Buller Gorge has been closed “until further notice” after a slip.

The section of road affected is between Westport and Inangahua, while other sections of highway through the Buller Range have been affected by more minor slips and washouts thanks to heavy rainfall.

MetService issued a heavy rain warning for the Buller Range from 8am on Sunday, with up to 70 millimetres of rain expected at peak intensities of 10mm to 15mm per hour.

MetService forecaster Sonja Farmer said the peak intensity recorded was 17mm in a single hour at a weather station near Westport and State Highway 6, between 10am and 11am.

She said a total of 25mm fell between 9am and 1pm, “which is a significant amount of rain”, and 28mm was recorded over a four-hour period.

“A heavy band has gone over [the Buller] before noon … but it looks like the worst is over.”

The rain has led to flooding, slips and other hazardous driving conditions.

A rockfall near O’Sullivan’s Bridge on SH6 means there is a temporary speed restriction of 50kmh in place and the NZ Transport Agency encourages extra care in the area.

A temporary 30kmh speed limit has been put in place over 7.5 kilometres of SH65 in the Shenandoah district, south of the intersection with Pea Soup Rd.

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency closed SH6 in the Lower Buller Gorge in the early afternoon, with an update at 2pm.

The next update is scheduled for 6pm but the road is currently expected to remain closed “until further notice”.