Roads reopen as storm debris cleared in Wellington, ferries cancelled
Friday, 2 May 2025
Winds eased and roads were reopening as storm debris was cleared in Wellington on Friday, although ferry sailings were still on hold.
On Thursday, MetService issued its first red warning for Wellington, reserved for the most severe weather events, which was later downgraded to orange. By Friday morning the only warning for Wellington was for heavy swells from Cape Terawhiti to Turakirae Head, until 6pm.
Flights resumed on Friday morning, although some struggled to land. Cook Strait ferries were not due to start sailing again until Saturday morning.
The Post reporter Katie Ham was on one of the first flights back into the capital on Friday morning, and said it was a tense landing.
“It hadn’t been too bad until we were in the final five minutes or so, when it started to get pretty wild. It was really quiet on the plane, I think we were all holding our breath.
“You could see the waves pummelling the coast, and feel the occasional stomach churn as we went through wind pockets.”
Having been unable to return home on Wednesday night after two unsuccessful attempts at landing, she was rescheduled onto a flight leaving Auckland at 6am.
“I think a lot of the plane were still slightly traumatised after the brutal flight on Wednesday night, but this was definitely a better ride in.”
Snaking security queues delayed the flight leaving Tāmaki Makaurau, but the Jetstar flight landed in Wellington just after 7.30am to a round of applause for the pilots.
Flights were operating as normal out of Wellington Airport by Friday afternoon.
Some homes were still without power across the region on Friday afternoon, including Blue Mountain Road in Upper Hutt, and Naenae, Wainuiomata and Korokoro in Lower Hutt.
The road from Ōwhiro Bay to Island Bay reopened after it had been closed on Friday morning while council crews checked damage and cleaned up.
The roads between Moa Point to the Pass of Branda between Seatoun and Breaker Bay, and in Lyall Bay had also reopened.
Earlier in the day, considerable storm debris was still on roads and commuters were advised to watch road conditions.
However, the roads had come through the storm relatively unscathed, a council spokesperson said.
“All roads on Wellington's south coast have now reopened to through traffic following today's initial storm clean-up by city council crews.
“Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are asked to take care until a further clean-up is carried out by crews next week,” he said.
“We're happy to report that there's been little damage to our roads and footpaths despite the battering from big seas over the past two days.”
People were urged to avoid Wellington’s Town Belt and reserves due to reports of multiple fallen trees.
Also hit by the weather was the Wellington Phoenix men's final A-League match for the season, which was rescheduled to Sunday at Sky Stadium, with flights disrupted for opponents Perth Glory.
In Lower Hutt, Marine Drive had been opened for necessary travel only and the Hutt City Council was closely monitoring it.
Waddington Drive in Naenae was closed after significant flooding, with only residents and emergency services allowed through while one side of the Wainuiomata Hill Rd was closed to allow work on slip debris.
Eastbourne’s Ferry Rd was reopened mid-morning after a significant slip needed to be cleared.
There were still some disruptions to public transport. Metlink bus services to Eastbourne were due to terminate at Seaview from 8pm, an hour before high tide. The last trip out of Eastbourne was to be 7.30pm, with the last full trip from Courtenay Place to Eastbourne at 7.05pm.
“As Marine Drive has the potential to close again for safety around the high tide period, this decision has been made to give passengers more certainty and allow more time to plan ahead,” a Metlink spokesperson said.