Kaikoura isolated as wind threat looms, following day of wild weather across NZ
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
Wild weather from the winter blast gripping the country has left Kaikoura isolated, with no way in or out until Thursday.
'The Inland road Route 70 is closed due to snow,' NZTA posted on social media. 'Currently there is no access in or out of Kaikoura until 7am.'
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Kaikoura's isolation comes as heavy winds threaten the country.
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They're set to exceed 100kmh from tomorrow - posing a serious risk to power lines and property.
According to Niwa, the strong winds will hit Wellington, Auckland and Taranaki.
The winds are expected to continue throughout the day and into the evening.
FLIGHT DELAYS, HAVOC ON THE ROADS
The weather has seen mass flight cancellations and delays in the capital, with more than 20 flights affected.
A Wellington Airport spokeswoman said the South Island is almost on lock down and is affecting the whole domestic network.
'We also have high winds in Wellington which is contributing to the problems. As it is the case with weather, if one thing goes wrong it will affect the entire network,' she said.
Anyone wanting information on flights at Wellington Airport should check the website for updates.
Police were dealing with trouble on the road, too, including at least 10 motor vehicles accidents on State Highway 8 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Constable Brad Morton of Tekapo said people were driving too fast for the conditions and did not have chains fitted.
'It is disappointing when people don't use common sense.'
Elsewhere, problems on the roads continued.
Major highways in a number of areas had been closed due to the slippery conditions, with cars stuck on some hill roads in Dunedin.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence warned people about the dangers on the roads, too.
'There is potential for downed powerlines and debris, and these roads are critical to emergency services to access isolated people and for farmers to get feed to their stock.
'Rescuing stranded vehicles is dangerous for road users and emergency staff. A closed road means CLOSED. If you can avoid the area please do,' it has said in a statement.
ROAD CLOSURES CONTINUE
Roads closures are continuing across the country into Wednesday evening.
The Desert Road will remain closed overnight, according to the NZTA.
The Inland road Route 70 is closed due to snow, too, leaving Kaikoura isolated.
Blinding white out conditions have closed the Lewis Pass, and parts of SH85, 87 and 93 are closed in Otago and Southland.
For a list of all road closures, visit the NZTA website.
STORM MOVES NORTH
On Wednesday, the weather pattern moved up the country, causing ferry sailings to be cancelled from 1pm, bringing snow to the central North Island, rain elsewhere and causing flights to be delayed or cancelled.
Snow began falling in many parts of the South Island late on Tuesday and by Wednesday morning had hit Christchurch, Dunedin, Otago and Southland, as well as the South Island high country.
In the North Island, high winds gusting through Cook Strait led to ferries being cancelled and snow was falling in Ohakune, near the central plateau, on the Napier-Hastings Road and 'truckloads' of snow was reported to have fallen on Mt Taranaki by noon, while Taupo was hit by heavy hail about 2pm.
Snow was falling along the Kaweka and Ruahine ranges and parts of the Taihape Road, which travels from the central North Island to Hawke's Bay, were closed due to the weather.
'This is a significant weather event and the combination of heavy rain, snow and strong winds is expected to cause widespread disruption to transport, especially about higher roads, could lead to localised flooding and slips,' MetService said in a Severe Weather Warning on Wednesday morning
A low east of Wairarapa and the Hawkes Bay was expected to deepen during Wednesday and Thursday, bringing a period of heavy rain, snow and severe southerly gales to central New Zealand.
The heaviest snow was expected about parts of mid and north Canterbury and the Kaikoura District above 400 metres, and the central North Island high country above 600m, MetService said.
Falls of up to 20cm could be expected.
Significant rainfall was also expected about the lower North Island, especially Wairarapa, Wellington, Kapiti and higher parts of Manawatu with 100 to 150mm about the hills and ranges and 70 to 100mm about lower lying areas of Wairarapa and Wellington, MetService said. The capital was hit with winds strong enough to stop a rescue helicopter landing at Wellington Hospital about 1pm.
Earlier MetService lead meteorologist Mark Todd said weather moving across the country after an initial front on Tuesday was 'a very cold southerly flow basically coming straight off Antarctica.'
HUGE SWELLS
High winds through Cook Strait were creating a large swell, making for an uncomfortable ferry crossing.
One passenger, Nathan Pilcher, described hearing cutlery and glass breaking and a 'smell of vomit on the boat' as waves broke over the top of the ferry's viewing deck.
'It was like being on a roller coaster, but you didn't know how big the next one [wave] was going to be.'
'Everyone was sitting on the floor, holding on sitting down with vomit bags and people were lying down in the toilets.'
By 1pm, Kiwirail cancelled Interislander ferry sailings.
SNOW BLANKETS CITY STREETS
Residents of Christchurch's Port Hills suburbs woke on Wednesday to a cover of snow as the freezing weather.
Dyers Pass Rd in the suburb of Cashmere was closed, however police reported it was 'business as usual' for drivers in the city.
Further south, police in Dunedin warned motorists of widespread snow, saying road travel should be avoided where possible.
Snow was falling in the city and roads in the hill suburbs were particularly affected, with crashes being reported.
Middleton Rd was closed and cars trapped in icy conditions on Stuart St, one of the city's major hill roads, were being towed to safety.
Dunedin's Northern motorway was closed, as was Three Mile Hill. The outlook for flights into Dunedin Airport was reported as marginal, with at least one plane circling overhead.
Snowfalls coated the ground in Southland Otago, Central Otago, as well as parts of Canterbury.
Further north, icy conditions on the Lewis Pass saw 30 trucks parked at Springs Junction.
In the North Island, snow was falling in Ohakune and heavy falls had hit Mt Taranaki.
DRIVING WARNINGS
Freezing temperatures and forecasted heavy snow for the North Island's central plateau had the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) warning drivers to check conditions before they started off on their trips.
MetService had road snowfall warnings in place for State Highway 5 - the Napier-Taupo Road - and the Desert Road.
'We are monitoring and working on the roads 24/7 - our staff have been doing their best to keep the road open overnight by doing things such as laying grit and the snow ploughs are being used. But the driving conditions out there are not good so if you can please delay your travel,' NZTA's Karen Boyd said.
In the South Island Constable Brad Morton of Tekapo said he had been dealing with a lot of people making 'unnecessary travel' which was 'very frustrating'.
It was 'just crazy' that people mostly tourists were travelling on the open section of State Highway 8 when it was in 'such bad condition', he said.
All drivers must have chains on their vehicles if they are travelling on State Highway 8.
Further south, a number of crashes had been reported in Southland as drivers slid in the freezing weather.
Some information regarding driving in winter conditions can be found here.
SKI FIELDS SHUT
A number of South Island ski fields were closed on Wednesday.
Mt Hutt was closed as strong southerly winds battered the area. Up to 25 centimetres of new wind-affected snow had fallen onto the ski field since Tuesday afternoon.
'Further waves of heavy snow are forecast this afternoon and Thursday morning,' the ski field's snow report said.
At 6am, 20kmh southerlies at the base area and 50 - 70kmh winds at the summit were making visibility 'pretty dire'.
Porters Ski Area was also closed after 15cm of new snow fell overnight on Tuesday.
'This morning we have gusty [southeasterly] winds with snow showers, and unpleasant blizzard conditions,' Porters' snow report said.
'It's very cold with -6 degrees in the base area and -10 higher up.'
Other ski fields closed included Mt Dobson and Mt Lyford.
At least 35cm of snow had fallen in Mt Lyford village, with snow forecast to fall until Friday.
Otago ski fields, including Cardrona, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, remained open on Wednesday after a fresh dumping of snow on Tuesday.