Heavy rainfall has triggered flash flooding across parts of Wellington this morning, forcing sections of several state highways to close and more than two dozen homes to be evacuated, with an orange heavy rain warning in place as further downpours loom.
Wellington Region Emergency Management said 25 homes in Stokes Valley and one home in Porirua had been evacuated.
NZTA said flooding had closed State Highway 58 between Pāuatahanui and Haywards. State Highway 2 at Haywards Interchange and State Highway 59 at Plimmerton Roundabout have reopened.
MetService has issued an orange-level heavy rain warning for the Tararua Range, Kapiti Coast and Wellington until 2am on Sunday, with a further 50 to 70mm expected on top of what has already fallen — and up to 70 to 90mm about the ranges and in isolated thunderstorms.
Around 40mm of rain fell on hills above Upper Hutt between 8am and 9am this morning — near the upper end of what was forecast for localised thunderstorms.
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Twenty-four homes have been evacuated in the Lower Hutt suburb of Stokes Valley after up to 40mm of rain fell in an hour. (Source: Supplied)
NZTA warned bad weather was affecting the wider Wellington highway network, with hazards including flooding, slips and rockfalls.
"Road users are urged to take care on the roads and drive to the conditions, and to check road and weather conditions before they travel."
Police urged motorists to stay off the roads until the rainfall eases and water subsides.
"Flash flooding can be unpredictable and dangerous, with unseen objects, debris and currents. Police are working with other agencies to keep people safe in affected areas."
Fire and Emergency NZ said it had responded to around 30 flood-related callouts in the Porirua and Lower Hutt areas since 9am today.
"Plimmerton and Pauatahanui in the Porirua area, and the north end of Lower Hutt, including Stokes Valley, have been the main areas impacted," a FENZ spokesperson said.
The majority of the callouts had been in response to people attempting to drive through flood waters and assisting people with water encroaching on their properties.
Residents in Stokes Valley described a sudden and intense downpour around 9am, with water levels rising within minutes as drains and manholes failed under pressure.
In multiple streets, stormwater burst through manhole covers and cracked concrete, sending muddy water through driveways, garages and backyards.
Eugene Grant told 1News his home was the closest to evacuating with water coming within about six inches of his front door.
"It came up over my gumboots — about a foot from the ground," he said.
"My wife and the kids packed our pets and family up to get out of Stokes Valley, and by the time we got to Stokes Valley entrance, it was blocked."
Two big rain bands coming
Wellington Emergency Management regional manager Dan Neely said further severe weather was expected at 2pm and at 8pm on Saturday, urging people to stay off the roads.
"We know we have two big rain bands coming, but there is a lot of uncertainty about where they will hit and how much rain will fall," he said.
"We are urging people to avoid all non-essential travel for the rest of today, but particularly around those times. We have concern for the areas already impacted, including around SH2, SH58 and SH59, which were impacted this morning."
Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban said the scale of this morning’s flooding caught the city off guard, with rain far heavier than forecast putting major pressure on already‑stressed infrastructure.
"We knew that it was going to be wet, but we weren't expecting the downpour and just a sheer amount of water that has come down on the community on the roads and people's yards," he told 1News.
"The more we get these kind of weather events, the more pressure it's going to place. When we can anticipate we can plan accordingly, it's the ones that are unpredicted and unplanned, they catch us all out that's no different."
He said the priority remained community safety, particularly for vulnerable residents.
"The people we're really worried about are the vulnerable ones, the elderly ones, and there's quite a few in Stokes Valley. Hopefully they're safe and hopefully their family members and neighbours are checking on them."
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said around 15 houses were reported to have flooding issues, with water entering garages and homes. Two properties were fully evacuated as a precaution.
"One home on Mana Esplanade has been affected for the last four years,” she told 1News.
"This is similar to the 2014 event. Not as many houses have water inside this time, but it’s the same areas, with water coming down the hills, through culverts, bringing debris with it. It’s not good."
She said blocked drains were not a major factor in this event, noting council crews had pre‑emptively cleared culverts and drains earlier in the week while preparing for Cyclone Vaianu which ultimately missed the region.
"We were told it was going to rain, but not like this. We’d been prepped for the cyclone last week and that didn’t eventuate. This caught us out."
Vehicles stranded by West Coast slip
Heavy rain has also impacted a state highway on the West Coast, with a slip closing State Highway 67 between Granity and Waimangaroa for several hours on Saturday.
Police were called to a report of a person stuck on the road due to the slip at around 7.20am, but they were able to get themselves to safety without injury.
West Coast resident Rebecca told 1News her partner was driving to work around 6.30am when torrential rain and intense lightning hit the Birchfield area.
She said he heard a loud crack of thunder before his vehicle suddenly broke down.
Miners who came across the scene helped get him back to Granity, she said, shortly before the slip came down and blocked the road, leaving their ute stranded on the far side.
NZTA said it would be "several hours at least" until there would be any access past the slip site, announcing it had reopened with speed restrictions at 1.40pm on Saturday.
"People are asked to take extra care travelling on this stretch of road."
MetService issued heavy rain warnings for the Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane River and Taranaki north of about Eltham, also the King Country and Taupo about and west of the Lake.
Periods of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms were also forecast for eastern and northern areas, while gale-force northwesterlies were possible in central parts of the country.
A red severe thunderstorm warning was briefly in place twice for parts of the lower North Island before being lifted.
Full list of weather warnings and watches
Heavy Rain Warning – Orange
Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane River - 13 hours from 3am to 4pm Sunday
Taranaki north of about Eltham, also the King Country and Taupo about and west of the Lake - 23 hours from 10am Saturday to 9am Sunday
The Tararua Range, Kapiti Coast and Wellington - 12 hours from 2pm Saturday to 2am Sunday
Heavy Rain Watch
Northern and eastern parts of Northland north of Whangarei - 8 hours from 9pm Saturday to 5am Sunday
Auckland south and west of Warkworth - 19 hours from 1am to 8pm Sunday
Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay - 14 hours from 6am to 8pm Sunday
Taupo east of the lake but south of Wairakei, and Bay of Plenty south of Murupara - 12 hours from 9pm Saturday to 9am Sunday
Tasman District northwest of Motueka - 6 hours from 9am to 3pm Saturday
The Tararua Range, also the Kapiti Coast and parts of Wellington north of the Harbour - 17 hours from 9am Saturday to 2am Sunday
Richmond and Bryant Ranges - 6 hours from 9am to 3pm Saturday
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