New Zealand was attacked by weather bombs last week...

New Zealand was attacked by weather bombs during the last week...

NZ was attacked by weather bombs during the last week, from the north to the south, from the west to the east. Storms have ravaged the country, with high winds, heavy and driving rain; trees were uprooted by the score; heavy seas prevented water being drained off in some places. Many homes have been damaged, some inhabitable. In the north thousands of homes have been without power for days on end, and some for many days to come because of falling power lines, fallen trees and slips. Mother Nature has been in a foul mood this week!
The South Island is still suffering after effects of storms; detours in place on parts of SH1; second slip on Akl's North Shore looked being examimed

The big mop up continues in Marlborough after the storm this week.

Marlborough Lines Operations Manager Brian Tapp, says between 5pm and 6pm yesterday, the last large areas cut off from power had electricity restored and there are now just a couple of customers to go.

One is the Vavasour Winery area where a pole in the riverbed disappeared and the other is a customer on the Waihopai Valley road where a transformer also disappeared in the river. Mr Tapp says any person out in that weather - be they clearing lines, sewage or whatever, did a magnificent job.

In some areas there were so many trees still blowing down, Marlborough Lines did not send staff in until the wind abated. Staff will be out today replacing the three to four broken poles they know of.

Northland police have officially announced the 40 year old man missing in a river on Waikare Valley Road is presumed drowned. Police and rescue volunteers spent the past two days searching for Kerry Witt after his partner's body was found in the river on Wednesday. Police have today scaled down the search. They say water levels remain high and another front expected today could further hamper search efforts.

Meanwhile a slip has closed part of Dyers Pass Road on the Port Hills. The Christchurch City Council says there is a slip on the road just below the Sign of the Kiwi - a diversion is in place through the Lyttelton Tunnel. A number of roads on Banks Peninsula are also still affected by slips and debris - parts of the Akaroa Summit Road, Bossu Road, and Pipers Valley Road. The council warns, roads along the Heathcote River may also be affected by flooding today.

Slips and surface flooding are still causing disruptions on SH1 south of Kaikoura. The New Zealand Transport Authority says they are still working to clear the slip located at Billy Goat Bay 10 kilometres south of Kaikoura. In the meantime SH1 south of Kaikoura to Cheviot remains closed.

Detours are in place for SH1 between Oamaru and Maheno and the section between Waitaki and Pukeuri Junction. Selwyn District Council says flooding there is now receding and the council is winding down its response. However, all Selwyn River fords are closed and there is still some surface water on roads.

Heavily used roads in Dunedin remain closed following heavy rain and landslips overnight. Trees and debris have blocked access to and from Portobello Road, while workers are clearing up Three Mile Hill road near Mosgiel. The Dunedin City Council say the instability of the bank along Portobello road is causing concerns and is delaying the clean up job.Meanwhile, there has been a power outage in town forcing the closure of several inner-city schools. It is not known at this stage whether the outage is weather related.

In the North island the Earthquake Commission is investigating a second slip on Auckland's North Shore. Engineers are at the landslide on Mulberry Place in Glenfield. A spokesman says it is too soon to say how serious the situation is. In Torbay, 14 homeowners are waiting to hear if their houses will fall victim to a massive slip which has already written-off one property. North Shore Civil Defence spokesman Blair Harkness says there has not been a great amount of movement overnight, and they are still working to drain water from the earth.

The best place has been indoors. Claims of record rain and high winds not seen for decades. Climate change, or just cyclical weather. Who knows!

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