Ex-cyclone loses its sting in south
Greater Christchurch has seen the last of ex-Cyclone Cook after it doused the area in up to 60 millimetres of rain and left suburban roads flooded.
MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said fine spells could be expected as Cook moved away from New Zealand.
The deluge on Thursday night and yesterday morning resulted in surface flooding and road closures in Aranui, Avondale, Shirley, Hoon Hay, St Martins and Beckenham, as well as in the town of Kaiapoi and at Kairaki Beach in North Canterbury.
The Avon River breached its banks and the Heathcote River also burst, although it was not a rare occurrence after serious rainfall.
Metservice meteorologist Rob Kerr said the storm had moved southeast of the Otago Peninsula by yesterday afternoon.
‘‘It’s gradually moving away and moving at a fairly constant pace, so we should see that rain clear into the evening and that wind will drop off quite quickly as it clears.’’
Kerr said up to 45mm of rain had fallen in the 12 hours to 4pm yesterday in some parts of Otago. Dunedin City received 17.8mm in a six-hour period.
Christchurch City Council services general manager David Adamson said roads around several ‘‘known flooding-risk spots’’ remained closed while water continued to drain.
‘‘We’ve had temporary pumps operating in the Flockton Basin area [in Mairehau] and while there has been surface flooding there, no properties have been flooded.’’
Murray said the usually parched North Canterbury town of Cheviot had received 40mm of rain in 24 hours.
Whether that benefited the land would depend on how dry it was before the storm hit, but it would help replenish water tables and stores either way, she said.
Police were called to Hanmer Springs Rd at 1.45pm yesterday after rock and mud fell on the road.
A spokeswoman said one vehicle was damaged, but nobody was injured, in the incident.
She said concerns were raised over ‘‘unsteady trees’’ above the road. The road remained open.
Riverside Beckenham residents spoken to by Fairfax Media remained in good spirits despite the Heathcote River overflow covering the roads and lapping their driveways.
Shaun Ryan said the flooding was ‘‘just part of living here’’ and had not been as bad as previous waterloggings.
City council land drainage manager Keith Davison said no homes had been flooded in the Flockton area.
A $48 million drainage project for the area was a few months away from completion, but parts of it had been used in conjunction with the temporary pumps deployed for Debbie.
Davison said the new Kensington Ave pump station had again been running during the latest storm.
The Waimakariri District Council utilities and roading manager Gerard Cleary said parts of Kairaki Beach and low-lying and older parts of Kaiapoi had flooded.
Roads were ‘‘ponding’’ and water was pooling on people’s properties, but the council had not received any reports of water reaching people’s homes.
All fords in the district had been closed.
Geo-technical engineers were also on standby in case of any slips on the Port Hills, where February’s fire has heightened the risk of land movement.
Adamson said drivers should take extreme care and if driving through floodwaters should reduce their speed to avoid causing water to wash on to adjacent properties.
MetService meteorologist Nick Zachar said Canterbury received ‘‘quite a heavy, steady rain’’ for the 12 hours from just after sunset on Thursday.
‘‘It looks like Akaroa reported 60mm over 12 hours. It’s probably even higher than that in the hillier areas as well.
‘‘Christchurch reported between 30 and 40mm … Further south and further north, it varies quite widely exactly where this rainband is set up, but generally between about 30mm and 50mm.’’