Bus rolls onto side after heavy snow fall in South Island
Tuesday, 11 July 2017
How the passengers of a crashed bus were to spend the night remained unclear after their vehicle slipped onto its side on a remote Otago road.
Ten passengers were stranded in icy conditions after the vehicle tipped while travelling near Makarora, between Wanaka and the West Coast, on Tuesday.
A police spokeswoman said the passengers were eventually taken to the Lake Hawea Fire Station by police. She said it was unclear where they would be spending the night.
Initial plans to move the bus on Tuesday night were scrapped due to the snowy conditions and the road remained blocked, she said.
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'They're looking at doing it tomorrow if possible. All of the passengers are safe, they're fine, they've been taken out of the area by police.
'No-one required any medical attention.'
An officer was notified of the crash by a call from a pay phone about 6.15pm on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman earlier said.
No-one was injured, just very cold, in the crash on Haast Pass-Makarora Rd about 15 kilometres from Makarora.
Snow on the road near where the bus rolled had also slowed the response from emergency services.
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A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said a crew had responded to initial calls but was stood down on arrival.
The road from Mt Aspiring National Park to Haast was closed shortly after 7pm due to the snow.
SNOW BLANKETS CANTERBURY AND OTAGO
Residents are hunkering down as the polar blast sweeps across the South Island.
Snow had begun falling to lower levels in Christchurch than previously expected by MetService, almost reaching sea level.
Flurries had begun to settle in West Melton, near Christchurch on Tuesday evening, which is 90 metres above sea level.
MetService meteorologist Ravi Kandula said snow had also been reported falling at Christchurch airport, which meant it was falling to as low as 35 metres.
'With this rain band that's going over at the moment, that snow level is penetrating quite low.
'The snow level's expected to ease back as the rain band moves over, which will be in about the next two or three hours … After that, the snow level's expected to pick back up to that 200 metre mark.'
Kandula said that would drop again during the day on Wednesday, potentially to 100 metres by midday.Fairlie's pub and motels, already busy due to the school holidays and the ski season, have been inundated with guests following the closure of the road to Tekapo due to heavy snow.
Three Creeks Burkes Pass co-owner Tracey Rackley said at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday there had 'probably been about three inches of snow fall [from 3pm]', which was continuing to fall.
She said there had been a lot of 'people stopping for help to put chains on, playing in the snow and people wanting accommodation'.
Aorangi Motels owner Tracey Harper said she had had to turn away a stream of people stuck in the town due to Tuesday's weather. 'I could've filled the place about five times over'.
Pinewood Motels owner Chris Clarke also said he had a full house. 'I've turned a few away. I think everyone who wanted [accommodation] has found it somewhere else.'
The town was busy until about 5pm, with people trying to find accommodation, but now it was 'very still', Clarke said.
Fairlie Hotel bar worker Heta Pene said the hotel was 'very, very full'.
'We've turned away maybe eight or nine people already. Quite a few of them were heading down Queenstown way.
'They've been running around town trying to find motels. All we can do is point them in the right direction.'
BP Fairlie worker Norman Blackmore said 'there certainly has been lots of people'.
'Fairlie will be very full tonight', he said.
He said everyone has had plenty of warning to 'prepare' for this and 'we will just have to see what happens in the morning'.
ROADS CLOSED, TRANSPORT DISRUPTED
The snow is threatening widespread disruption across Canterbury, with several roads being closed.
New Zealand Transport Agency Journey manager Lee Wright said just State Highway 8 between Omarama and Fairlie had been closed just after 4pm, following a two-car crash.
Drivers have been advised to use chains if they planned to head inland.
The Mackenzie District Council has contractors on 'stand by' to clear roads if heavy snow were to settle in the district.
Roading manager Scott McKenzie said council had contractors on 'stand by'.
'We have everything in place as per standard clearing regimes'.
He said if snow were to settle heavily in the Mackenzie region, 'roads would be cleared for emergency services first, then we clear one lane from the centre of the town [Fairlie] and outward' then would look at clearing more remote access roads for farmers.
Otago Civil Defence & Emergency Management Waitaki District Team Emergency Management officer Ewen Graham said all the warnings and normal precautions were out there from the likes of MetService, NZTA and the media.
He said this was nothing 'unusual or different' for people in the Waitaki region as this can happen 'every winter'.
Interislander ferries have been cancelled because of forecast swells of up to 7 metres on Cook Strait.
The last ferry to sail from Wellington left at 5pm on Tuesday, while the last sailing from Picton would leave at 6.45pm.
Freight sailings would likely resume on Friday morning, followed by passenger trips.
'These resumptions are weather dependent,' Interislander operations manager Mark Thompson said.
COLD SOUTHERLY FRONT HEADING NORTH
The storm, bringing ice and snow to the South Island from Tuesday, threatens trouble for motorists, farmers, holidaymakers and Christchurch's America's Cup parade.
Snow is already falling on Central Otago skifields. MetService warned 'high impact severe weather' was expected to affect many parts of the country through to Friday.
MetService now forecasts snow to 100 metres, with wider areas affected by gales.
It said south to southeast gales could become severe in Northern Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, Wellington and Horowhenua Kapiti Coast from Wednesday afternoon till overnight Thursday.
Rain is expected to be heavy in Wellington and coastal Marlborough on Thursday, and in Wairarapa on Thursday and Friday.
Snowfall warnings remained for passes and high roads, including the Rimutaka Hill Rd.
MetService did not forecast a rare snow event.
This was 'not the sort of scenario where we would anticipate historic snowfall to sea level', meteorologist Ciaran Doolin said.
MetService expects the cold weather to last until the end of the week.
WIND CHILL WILL BITE
Farmers with lambs or calves, especially from Southland to Banks Peninsula and in the Canterbury high country and plains, were 'at risk', Blue Skies said.
Treacherous conditions were forecast for Christchurch's Port Hills from Tuesday night to Thursday morning. Sleety rain was set to develop early Tuesday afternoon, when cold southerlies arrived.
Southerly winds of up to 28 knots reached Christchurch International Airport by about 3.30pm on Wednesday, MetService meteorologist Ravi Kandula said.
'The rain band isn't too far behind that … as the evening progresses that snow level will slowly lower down to about 200 metres.'
Kandula said Christchurch residents could expect icy rain eventually followed by snow down to low levels from about 5.30pm.
Midday temperatures could be 3 to 4C in central Christchurch at noon on Wednesday, but it would feel like -4C, weather commentator Richard Green told RNZ.
Snow flurries would likely appear on Wednesday in the hill suburbs of Cashmere and Westmorland. Rural areas of Mid and North Canterbury were likely to get more, with possibly 20-30cm in Oxford and up to 50cm in Hanmer Springs, Green said.
The organisers of Wednesday's Christchurch America's Cup celebratory parade had a plan B in case of 'very severe' weather, a spokeswoman said.
Any change would be announced that morning and would affect the venue, but not the time, she said. 'People will have to wrap up.'
ALTERNATIVE HIGHWAY COULD CLOSE
Snow was likely to affect people driving the Arthurs, Porters, Lindis, Haast and Lewis passes.
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) may close the Lewis Pass, which is the alternate highway from Picton to Christchurch, between Culverden and Springs Junction as early as Tuesday night depending on the weather.
Five to 7cm could settle near the summit from late Tuesday. Staff would work through the night to clear roads, NZTA journey manager Lee Wright said.
'[Lewis Pass] will either be 'open' or 'closed' rather than having the usual restrictions of 'chains essential' and 'no towing'.'
Road snowfall warnings were in place, with some passes some expecting more than 20cm of settled snow. Snow showers could affect the summit of the Dunedin to Waitati Highway – SH1 – from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning.
Ice warnings were in place for most State Highways in Otago, Southland and Canterbury.
NORTH ISLAND
For the lower half of the North Island, a low deepening east of the country on Wednesday could bring severe gales, with a possibility of snow to 600m in Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and east of Taupo.
There was a chance snow could fall on the Desert Road later on Wednesday, into Thursday and possibly Friday.
Green told RNZ that there could be swells of 6 to 7m in Wellington over Wednesday to Thursday.
He said wind chill in Wellington could make 6 to 7C feel like 0C on Wednesday.