• MetService forecasts a ‘second wave’ of heavy rain for the West Coast, along with snow, thunderstorms and strong winds.
• Civil Defence is warning people to be prepared with grab bags, wet weather clothing and emergency supplies in the event of evacuations while sandbags are being provided in Hokitika.
• Southland, Tasman and inland Marlborough at risk of heavy rain too. MetService-issued weather warnings are in place around the South Island.
• Thunderstorm warnings in place for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty from Thursday night to midday Friday - accompanying downpours could cause flash flooding, slips.
• Auckland Harbour Bridge on high wind alert, with MetService-issued strong wind watch in place for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Great Barrier Island.
• Transport agency warns motorists of risky commute on Friday morning, warns families hitting the roads for school holidays to drive to conditions and watch out for possible road closures.
• Residents in Marlborough township urged to evacuate by 9am tomorrow as heavy rain expected to swell Wairau River to dangerous levels.

Residents in a Marlborough township have been told to evacuate their homes by 9am tomorrow with heavy rain expected to swell the Wairau River to dangerous levels.

High winds in Auckland tonight have forced the closure of restaurants at the top of the Sky Tower as motorists are urged to brace for a wild rush hour commute tomorrow morning.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled, stranding travellers as the wild weather causes chaos around the country.

Several neighbourhoods in Auckland are facing blackouts this evening, with power outages reported in parts of New Lynn, Blockhouse Bay and Green Bay, Mt Roskill, One Tree Hill, Westmere and Belmont.

Large swathes of rural Waitakere, Riverhead, Paremoremo, Wainui, Woodhill Forest were also without power, lines company Vector’s outage map showed, as well as parts of Piha and Karekare.

The top of the North Island is under threat of flash flooding and slips as thunderstorms and strong winds and heavy rain bear down on regions across the country.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge will be buffeted by strong winds as Auckland comes under a severe thunderstorm watch along with several other regions.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is warning heavy rainfall will also make driving “hazardous” and speed limits and lanes are likely to be reduced during rush hour.

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Marlborough Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) is advising some residents in Spring Creek near Blenheim to evacuate their homes by 9am tomorrow.

Heavy rain in the upper Wairau catchment is expected to raise the Wairau River level significantly tomorrow between 9am and 5pm.

At Spring Creek the river is expected to reach between 3300 and 3600 cubic metres per second after 9am. Residents of Dodson, Hathaway and March streets, and part of Ferry Rd, are advised to relocate as a precaution for the day.

“The Peninsula Rd stop bank is potentially compromised due to previous storm events and seismic activity. Twenty Civil Defence and iwi volunteers are door knocking and leafletting 70 homes this evening. Residents can evacuate tonight if they wish.”

Sky City Entertainment said the Sky Tower restaurants Orbit, The Sugar Club and Skybar have been temporarily closed due to high winds this evening.

Staff were directly calling anyone with reservations to tell them of the disruption.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said high winds in Auckland have sparked nearly 20 callouts relating to trees and power lines coming down, and roofs lifting.

Auckland rush hour train commuters are facing delays and disruptions due to worsening weather conditions.

Auckland Transport says “weather impact is increasing the delays created by earlier trespassers” at Greenlane station.

Passengers should expect delays of 10 to 15 minutes and possible cancellations on all lines.

Further south, West Coast residents are poised to evacuate at a moment’s notice as heavy rain continues to fall on the already saturated ground.

Civil Defence says sandbags are being placed around Hokitika streets to protect houses against flood damage following torrential downpours.

SH6 on the West Coast has been washed out in several places as heavy rain pummels the area. Photo / Waka Kotahi

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said there is a high risk of surface flooding and slips on the West Coast.

The western South Island is in the second wave of heavy rain, with heavy rain warnings to last until 3am tomorrow.

State Highway 6 between Haast and Franz Josef has been forced to close after two washouts. The same road between Haast and Makarora was closed for 12 hours after a previous washout but has since reopened.

In a Facebook post this morning, residents were told to prepare to act quickly with flash flooding often happening quickly and without warning.

“We’re sure you’re aware that we are expecting to have a significant amount of rain today so it’s wise to be ready.

“Be prepared to evacuate and keep your grab bag close.”

Civil Defence also advised people to move valuable and dangerous items up high and along with sandbagging property, they were also urged to secure outdoor items to avoid being washed away in floodwaters.

Ōkārito resident Ian Cooper said 10 members of the community gathered on Tuesday afternoon to prepare sandbags for low-lying houses in the settlement.

“There are a couple of houses that are a little bit low-lying and water’s coming in or pooling around the bottom storey, so we got a lot of people to come and help with the sandbags, which was really nice,” Cooper said.

Members of the West Coast settlement Ōkārito working together to prepare sandbags for some of the low-lying houses in the area. Photo / Ian Cooper

Meanwhile, a swathe of heavy rain and strong wind alerts have been issued for the top of the North Island, with thunderstorms and gales to batter regions.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for Auckland, Northland, Coromandel, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

Between 25 and 40mm per hour of rain is expected to fall overnight, prompting warnings from MetService to beware of flash flooding and slips.

Auckland, Northland and Coromandel are under a strong wind watch which will last two days.

MetService has also issued heavy rain warnings and watches for Northland and Coromandel, which are expected to see up to 120mm of rain in the coming hours.

NZTA is warning Northland motorists to take care on roads as locals prepare to head away for the school holidays.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said strong northeasterly winds may approach severe gale in exposed areas.

“The combination of very wet roads and gusty winds may make road travel extra challenging,” Makgabutlane said.

Surface flooding, slips and heavy rain are expected to make driving “hazardous” for those looking to get away to Coromandel or Bay of Plenty, an NZTA spokeswoman said.

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.

This article was originally published on the NZ Herald here