Winter Storm Disrupts Queenstown and Triggers New Rain Watches for North Island
Overnight flooding and rockfalls affected a wide area of Queenstown and its surroundings as a late-night deluge hit the town during a significant winter storm across the South Island. The severe weather caused hazardous travel conditions, prompted evacuations, and led to road closures, according to officials.
Fire and Emergency southern shift manager Lyn Crossan said firefighters attended 16 flooding-related jobs during the night, mostly involving water entering homes. Numerous other calls came in regarding flooding on properties and roads, with most jobs concentrated in Queenstown, Frankton, Arrowtown, Lake Hawea, and Wanaka. More were expected this morning.
Some Queenstown residents were evacuated overnight due to concerns about ground stability around Fern Hill and Bowen Street, including at a campground, Crossan said. Evacuees on the Fern Hill side could not enter Queenstown because flooding and debris had completely cut off the Fern Hill roundabout. Two fire trucks were unable to get through for several hours, but the roundabout reopened after the rain eased around 1am. One car became stuck in the water at the roundabout, though nobody was trapped, Crossan said, adding, “Sometimes in inclement weather people continue to go out and drive around. It just puts everybody more at risk including our firefighters.”
Queenstown Mayor John Glover told Breakfast that around 45 people were evacuated overnight, following 48 hours of “pretty solid rain.” A Civil Defence welfare hub was established to support residents in need, and Glover said evacuees would hopefully be returning to their properties later in the day. He asked drivers to avoid One Mile roundabout and Gorge Road if possible, urging, “Please drive with extreme care today and avoid driving through any flood waters.” A conserve water notice was in place for Fernhill, Sunshine Bay, Queenstown CBD, and Frankton Road.
In Wānaka, a van was stuck in debris from a slip on Mt Aspiring Rd around the 9km mark, according to a social media post from the council. The council urged people to avoid non-essential travel, warning of multiple slips, washouts, rockfalls, and surface flooding, including on Haast Pass Road, Luggate Hill, and Tarras Road. State Highway 6 between Makarora and Lake Hāwea in Otago was closed due to a slip.
Meanwhile, MetService issued a series of new rain watches for the upper North Island as the front that brought rain and snow to the south slowly moves north. Heavy rain watches are in place for Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula, and Bay of Plenty about, west, and east of the Rangitaiki River. The Ranges of the Buller district remained under an orange rain warning. Strong wind watches were issued for Wairarapa south of Masterton, Wellington, the Marlborough Sounds, and the Canterbury High Country.
MetService head of weather news Heather Keats told Breakfast that a low-pressure system would move over the North Island tomorrow, bringing heavy rain to the entire upper North Island – Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, and Bay of Plenty to Gisborne. “So tomorrow is a bit of a write-off. Sunday does look better,” she said. MetService said the front began moving north overnight, with severe northwest gales expected to affect parts of central New Zealand today.
The heavy rain watch for Northland is valid from 4am to 10pm Friday, for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, and Coromandel Peninsula from 6pm Friday to 6pm Saturday, for Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty west of the Rangitaiki River from 6am to 6pm Saturday, and for Bay of Plenty east of the Rangitaiki River from 9am to 9pm Saturday. The strong wind watch for Wairarapa south of Masterton, Wellington, and the Marlborough Sounds is valid from 9am to 8pm Friday, and for the Canterbury High Country from 11am to 5pm Friday.
Glover said the rain was now easing and there were blue skies in Queenstown, but added, “It will take a while to drain away. Be patient. There will be traffic queues as ever.”