Rain was predicted to be up to 125mm on the Banks Peninsula and 50 to 75mm in the city and Port Hills.
Heavy rainfall this afternoon will coincide with higher-than-normal tides, so some flooding is expected in low-lying coastal areas and around rivers.
Several roads in Canterbury are closed, and State Highway 73 between Springfield and Castle Hill is expected to be closed throughout the afternoon and possibly all night.
SH8 is closed between Fairlie and Twizel, and SH79 is closed between Gudex Rd and the SH8 intersection.
Thick snow at Mt Cook
Sharlene McKinlay and her family live not far from the mountainside of Aoraki/Mt Cook, watching Mueller Hut with icicles dangling from their eaves.
“We can just see the vegetation there, so it’s very snowbound.”
When news of the snow forecast reached them, they ducked into the grocery store yesterday to make sure they were well stocked.
The road to Mt Cook (SH80) is closed due to heavy snowfall.
McKinlay is a hobby photographer and shoots during the day.
“It’s really nice to share them with people all over the country because it’s a pretty unique place to be.”
Residents of the village of Mt Cook woke up this morning to a thick layer of snow and more snow fell during the day.
McKinlay says there is now about a foot of fresh snow.
It is her family’s first winter in the remote village.
She says her four-year-old daughter wants to make snowmen later in the day when conditions calm down.
McKinlay says there have been white conditions, but the village looks magical as visibility improves.
Buller District doesn’t know when power will be restored
The Buller District is without power after the national grid has been cut.
Buller Electricity says it has lost bulk power, except for Karamea, who remains on generators.
It does not have a timetable for restoring the power supply at this stage. Stuff reports that the area may be without power overnight.
Marlborough residents asked not to flush
Residents in Blenheim and Seddon are being asked not to flush their toilets today as heavy rainfall has pushed the sewerage systems in the borough to full capacity.
Marlborough District Council says the heavy rains that have forced the closure of several roads are also affecting the sewage system.
The Picton, Renwick and Havelock sewers are working well, but those in Blenheim and Seddon are not.
All sports parks in Marlborough and the Seddon Transfer Station are also closed.
† RNZ