Latest updates as heavy rain closes roads and forces the evacuation of trampers from Fiordland National Park.
Southland
Flood levels on the Oreti River are expected to reach the limits of the river's flood protection scheme but not breach them.
Civil Defence staff are arranging to notify a small number of landowners downstream of Winton. There are no plans to evacuate homes at this stage.
Farmland in the Te Anau Basin underwater, with extensive damage to fences and other infrastructure.
Rivers continuing to rise as heavy rain falls in the headwaters of major rivers.
Motorists in rural areas advised to avoid unnecessary travel.
Farmers moving stock from low lying areas.
Heavy rain warning for Northern and Central Southland with a further 40-60mm of rain expected in the next 18 hours.
Roads
The Southland District Council has warned that roads are becoming impassable more quickly than they can be checked, and it urged drivers to listen to the radio to hear what areas are affected.
SH 97 Five Rivers To Mossburn closed
SH 94 Mossburn to Te Anau closed
SH94 Te Anau to Milford Sound closed
SH6 Kingston to Athol surface flooding
North Makarewa Grove Bush between Horman and Thomlinson - water is over the road. Road CLOSED
Affleck Road CLOSED
Lowther Road CLOSED
Ellis Road CLOSED
Felton Road CLOSED
Roy Road CLOSED
Council Road Makarewa CLOSED
Lora Gorge Road (Winton) CLOSED
Nokomai Road and Cainard Road (Garston Area) CLOSED
Kakapo Road from Dales Road CLOSED
Waikouro-Wairio Road CLOSED
Dipton South Hillend Road CLOSED (between Hundred Line East Road and Benmore Road)
Te Anau - Golf Course Road CLOSED
Te Anau - Upukerora Road CLOSED
Te Anau - Ramparts Road CLOSED (from the Te Anau Mossburn Highway to Mt York Road)
FLOODING
Reports that Waiau River in Tuatapere has started spilling into the Tuatapere Domain. Domain is still accessible.
Sutton Road, Glencoe - Flooding and scouring on Sutton Road. Lot of water on road. Advise caution.
Benmore Stockbridge road - water is over floodbank for about 200m.
Hedgehope area - surrounding areas flooded -continuing to monitor
Otapiri Gorge Road - Slip halfway across Otapiri Gorge road between numbers 247 and 738. Can be passed with care.
Centre Bush Otapiri Road - Flooding at both sides of road (Still passable at this stage).
Otapiri Mandeville area - surrounding areas flooded -continuing to monitor
Tanner & Hokonui School Road Area- Flooding in low areas across road (Still passable at this stage).
Taramoa - surface flooding - rain easing, road still passable.
McKenzie Road, Browns - Flooding across road at 389 McKenzie Road. Flooding has caused undermining of the road which is not visible to public. CAUTION
Mt Hamilton Road - Mt Hamilton - road underwater, potentially impassable.
1320 Fleming Road - preparing for possible closure
Wreys Bush Mossburn Road - There is flooding across both lanes of Wreys Bush Mossburn Road from the Aparima River Bridge to Rapid 2432, the road is passable
Anderson Road, Kauana Water flowing across Anderson Rd Kauana by Kauana Dairies, where the tanker track meets the road, on the western side.
Near 453 Norman Road, Winton - Flooding across Norman Road near this address
Tussock Creek Springhills Road - Flooding across road at Tussock Creek/spring Hills Road
Crampton Road, Opio - There is flooding in 4 places on this road where the water is right across the road
Fiordland
(all information provided by Department of Conservation)
In the 3 days finishing at 8am today, 739mm of rain was recorded at Dumpling hut on the Milford Track, Fiordland National Park. The 24 hours leading up to 8am Sunday alone recorded 524mm. During that period rainfall intensity averaged 25-30mm with a peak intensity of 40mm/hr sustained for 2 hours.
More rain is forecast through to Tuesday (tomorrow) north of George Sound. The front appears to be slow moving.
The rainfall and river levels are monitored electronically in both the Clinton and Arthur Rivers on the Milford Track, and the Cleddau River in Milford Sound.
River levels
When the Arthur River (northern catchment of the Milford Track) level reaches 2.8m the track is closed. The level has been above this since 10am yesterday, remained above 3.5m since 2pm yesterday and has peaked off our graph at 4m. This means there would be widespread flooding in all low lying areas of the track.
The Clinton River (on the southern catchment of the Milford Track) closure level is 1.8m; the level has been sustained at over 2m for the same period, since 10am Sunday.
Tracks
Milford:
The huts are full with 120 trampers on the track. Milford Track Guided Walks has already closed for the season so does not have trampers on the track. They are all in huts with hut wardens present and are safe. The track was closed yesterday (stopping further people going in) and those trampers have now spent 2 days at the same hut. The last trampers of the season were due to access the track today but it has been cancelled. People are receiving refunds.
An evacuation is underway for the remaining people on the track. They will all be picked up by helicopter and flown to Glade wharf where Real Journeys is sending 2 boats to collect them. They will be brought back to Te Anau by coach. Even the trampers at Clinton, only 1hour walk in from the start of the track are not able to walk back to Glade wharf due to the flooding.
DOC are pulling staff in from other work to assess conditions. At this stage they have only been able to inspect one small bridge downstream of Mintaro Hut which has been washed away.
Routeburn Track:
The Routeburn Track has also been closed in part due to access to the Routeburn from Glenorchy being compromised. There are considerably less people on the track and they are staying put in the meantime. Hut wardens are present in the huts with them.
Kepler
The Kepler Track is open but it is likely there will be a lot of water down the Iris River valley. Visitor Assets Manager for DOC Te Anau recommends "No-one should be in a rush to go anywhere today. Just tide ho while we assess the state of the tracks and determine it's safe. There is a very large amount of unknown as to the extent of the flooding and any resulting damage."
Milford Sound
DOC have been advised that whilst the Cleddau River rose to a level that triggered Emergency Response pagers the river has remained within it's banks and no evacuation has been necessary. The river has dropped from a peak yesterday. The conditions appear to be worse on the Te Anau side of the Homer Tunnel.
Rainfall/Flooding Recent History
Fiordland experienced a large flooding event on 23 March 2010. In the period since then a further approx 1.2m of rain has fallen before this event. Another 739mm of rain on top of that is huge.
The Fiordland region is used to considerable rain. The steep sided mountains result in rapid run off and therefore rise in rivers. Likewise when the rain stops the river levels typically recede relatively quickly. DOC always advice not to cross rivers if they are questionable, even something that is usually a dry side channel can become a death trap during heavy rain. People need to sit it out and wait for the rivers to drop.
Mavora Lakes
Some people have been able to drive out from there to Te Anau today but there is widespread surface flooding and South Mavora Lake is flooded over the access road. DOC staff are on there way in to check the other people who are still in there.
Other locations
A number of hunters have been in picking up hunting licences. While we have few recorded in our intentions system there are likely to be a number out at various places in Fiordland and adjacent Conservation Areas. Hollyford Track likely to be flooded. Wilmot Pass is open.
