South Island weather: Streets turn to rivers, forcing evacuations
Rising floodwaters have forced homeowners and holiday-makers to evacuate in Otago and Canterbury, where rivers have burst their banks and torrential rain has washed out roads.
While the raging Ashburton River had spilled into farmland, on Tuesday night Civil Defence staff were confident the town would be spared when the water peaked at the State Highway 1 bridge.
State Highway 8 through Lindis Pass between Tarras and Omarama would remain closed overnight because of fresh snow, slips and flooding, along with the Aoraki/Mount Cook highway and Haast Pass, Waka Kotahi said.
Spokesperson Graeme Hall said people should delay any travel until Wednesday.
Accommodation in places such as Twizel, Fairlie and Tekapo was filling up with the arrival of travellers stalled by road closures, he...