A state of emergency is in place in Waitaha Canterbury as violent winds batter large parts of Aotearoa.
Te Whakatakanga o te Ngārahu o te ahi a Tamatea, or Hanmer Springs, has been severely battered by gusts exceeding 230 kilometres an hour in the high country, forcing some residents to evacuate.
In Whakatū Nelson, the Health Minister has ordered urgent reviews after backup generators failed when Nelson Hospital lost power, amid widespread electricity outages across the upper South Island.
Temperatures have halved in the deep south, where emergency crews responded to nearly 130 callouts within an hour as wind direction suddenly shifted.
A resort in the Marlborough Sounds has also been evacuated.
Helicopters and ground crews continue to battle fires in Kaikōura and Hawke’s Bay, with authorities warning they could become uncontrollable under Thursday’s expected conditions.
Thousands stranded as gale-force winds and rain hammer the capital
Further up the country, thousands of travellers have been left stranded, hundreds are without power, and major roads have been closed as gale-force winds and heavy rain hammer Te Whanganui-a-Tara, which has been under a severe red weather warning until this evening.
MetService has issued its highest alert for Wellington, Wairarapa, and eastern coastal regions, forecasting gusts of up to 160 kilometres an hour in exposed areas, which have already been exceeded in some areas.
All regional train services have been suspended, ferry sailings remain on standby, and dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled out of Wellington Airport.
A Fiji Airways flight landed at Wellington Airport on Thursday afternoon at about 4pm, the first commercial service to arrive or depart Wellington since a Sounds Air flight left at 8:30am.
In a statement, Wellington Airport says winds are easing and airlines are aiming to resume limited operations on Thursday evening.
Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline for the latest flight information.
Head of Operations at Wellington Airport, Matthew Palliser, says airlines had been proactive ahead of the storm.
“The airlines were really good, they made some proactive moves yesterday to get their aircraft out of Wellington ahead of the winds,” he said.
“We had a couple tied down here, but most jets went out this morning. Since then, we haven’t had any flights apart from Sounds Air, who’ve been operating their smaller planes down to Nelson, which is commendable.”
He says teams are closely monitoring the weather and preparing to restart operations.
“It does look like things will ease around six or seven o’clock this evening, so they’re already making plans to bring aircraft back into Wellington and get people on their way.”
Palliser says the Airport has contingency measures ready once flights resume.
“When flights start moving again, we’ve got plans in place to make sure that everyone gets through quickly. We encourage people to come to the airport early and use airline apps to keep up with the latest information.”
He urged travellers to stay calm and patient as operations recover.
“Please be patient, it is going to be busy. Everyone’s doing their best to get you on your way. Come with plenty of time, good spirits, we’ll get you through as quickly as we can.”
Palliser, who has been in the role for a decade, says it’s rare to see a full day of cancellations.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve only had one other day where all flights were cancelled,” he said.
“It’s a rare event, but safety is our number one priority. Keeping everyone safe is what matters most, and we’ll do our best to get people moving again as soon as possible.”
Among those waiting for updates is a Porirua volleyball club, Mana Pari-ā-Rua, hoping to travel to Christchurch for the annual Nesian Volley Fest.
Team manager, Leini Laumua, says the cancellation has been gutting.
“We were just travelling to Christchurch today, it got cancelled, so we’re just waiting here at the airport for some good news and to be rebooked on the next flight.”
She says the team has been preparing for months after winning Division One Nationals, and then holding car washes, volley-a-thons and sausage sizzles to fundraise for the trip.
“We put so much money in toward this, very gutted. We’ve pulled some long hours with the kids, but hopefully we get the win and get to go down,” she said.
The players were vibing, she added, passing time with schoolwork, eating and filming TikToks.
Across the Wellington and Wairarapa region, emergency services have responded to dozens of reports of fallen trees, powerlines, and debris blocking roads.
Power companies warn that outages may last into the weekend, as strong winds make it unsafe for crews to carry out repairs.
Authorities are warning the public to take the red warning seriously, saying the conditions pose a risk to life from flying debris, falling trees, and damage to buildings.
Civil Defence says residents should stay indoors, delay travel plans, and keep up to date with the latest information from MetService and local emergency agencies.
