Gales leave trail of damage

The clean-up is under way after gale-force winds lashed Dunedin and coastal Otago yesterday, lifting roofs, smashing windows, downing trees and powerlines and even generating reports of waterspouts on Otago Harbour.

Gusts of up to 104kmh at Dunedin airport - and 155kmh at Swampy Summit - kept emergency services and power contractors busy responding to the havoc created by the wild weather.

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Thousands of customers lost power across the city and surrounds, while firefighters rushed from one blaze to the next and responded to reports of roofs lifting off homes.

Hundreds of passengers were affected when Dunedin flights were disrupted by the winds, and a large pine tree smashed a water main in Opoho, cutting supply to 200 homes overnight.

The northwesterly winds peaked in the city between 3pm and 4pm, hours after striking Queenstown, and drove temperatures up to 31degC in Dunedin, just one degree short of the December record.

Oamaru hit 30degC and Dunedin airport recorded 29degC, according to MetService staff.

The strongest gust in New Zealand was recorded at Dunedin's exposed Swampy Summit, with a blast reaching 155km shortly after 4pm.

The wind also prompted a warning from the New Zealand Transport Authority for drivers to be careful, as motorists tried to dodge 2m-high waves crashing over Portobello Rd at the Andersons Bay Inlet.

The Dunedin City Council's call centre was inundated with calls about downed powerlines which affected thousands of people.

About 5100 customers supplied by the Aurora Energy network in Dunedin lost power after more than 10 high-voltage feeders tripped between 2pm and 4.30pm, Delta Utility Services network services manager Lindsay McLennan confirmed.

The cuts hit parts of the Taieri and more than 10 Dunedin suburbs, from Abbotsford to Waldronville to Leith Valley and Mt Cargill, he said.

It was hoped all but 80 to 100 customers would be reconnected by late last night, he said.

Another 3000 PowerNet customers - in Lawrence, Glenore, Waihola, Clydevale, Orawia, Makarewa and Winton - were affected by cuts caused by the high winds, PowerNet staff said.

Firefighters also tackled many fires triggered by the hot and windy weather, including five requiring the assistance of rural firefighters.

One of the blazes, near Old Brighton Rd, burned between 2ha-4ha of pine trees and came within about 100m of homes before being brought under control, Dunedin City Council principal rural fire officer Graeme Still said.

The fire was believed to have been started by arcing or downed powerlines, and had the potential to be "quite nasty", he said.

Fire Service East Otago assistant area commander Trevor Tilyard said fire pumps from as far afield as Port Chalmers attended the fire.

At the winds' peak late yesterday afternoon, every pump between Milton and Palmerston was busy.

Fire crews were called back on duty to assist with dozens of callouts involving lifting roofs, and downed powerlines and trees.

While the winds died down in the Dunedin area about 8pm, helicopters with monsoon buckets were called in to assist with a forestry fire threatening to get out of hand at Kaitangata.

Mr Tilyard said gale-force winds combined with soaring temperatures and humidity under 20% made for dangerous conditions.