A sinkhole which appeared under a South Canterbury road during the weekend's storm is expected to take days to repair.
A torrent of water caused by heavy rain destroyed part of State Highway 82 between Kurow and Waimate.
The wet weather has also affected local farmers.
“It's unreal, I couldn't believe it,” farm manager Roydon Bailey told 1 NEWS.
“We had 25mm yesterday in about 15 minutes, and we've had 200mm since Christmas Eve, so everything is just saturated.”
Locals along Waimate main street say their shops were underwater in a matter of minutes.
“Probably a good six inches or so of water all the way through. Right through the salon,” Shampers Salon’s Jan Jeffrey says.
Motorists are advised to take it easy on the roads and plan their trip before setting home from the New Year break.
NZ Transport Agency says the affected part of State Highway 82 is likely to reopen late Wednesday.
SHARE ME