Gusts of 150km/h recorded as high winds slam parts of South Island

It's a gusty and wet day for large parts of the South Island, with high wind gusts recorded at Ashburton and Dunedin.

Wind speeds in Ashburton reached 107km/h this morning - the strongest in the area so far this year. It's also the highest wind recorded in the town since 2006.

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Other parts of Canterbury also experienced high wind speeds, with 111km/h gusts in Sugarloaf and Le Bons Bay.

There have been reports of some properties losing power.

One Rakaia resident said the wind blew away a trampoline and destroyed her shed.

Dunedin airport also recorded a 107km/h gust, its strongest this year. North of Dunedin, Swampy Summit had winds reaching up to 150km/h.

A building in Dunedin's Rattray St had corrugated iron lifted off the roof.

MetService has issued orange rain warnings for Fiordland and around the headwaters of Otago and Canterbury lakes and rivers.

Strong wind warnings are also in place for most of the South Island and Wellington.