Dunedin mayor Sophie Barker told RNZ the overnight storm was a significant ongoing rain event which has been unpredictable due to specific and localised rainfall.
"South Dunedin looks to be okay because the pumps and the pipes are working there, our main concern is around Mosgiel because they've actually had significantly more rain than we've had right here in Dunedin."
There has been surface flooding in Mosgiel and some residents there had chosen to evacuate to the Taieri Bowling Club, she said.
There are four pumps working in Mosgiel to get the water out of there and into the streams, she said.
Dunedin's stormwater system is "working within capacity" amid the deluge.
"Our stormwater network continues to work within capacity,” Dunedin City Emergency Management Operations Centre controller Sandy Graham said.
However, residents are being asked to stay home if possible, avoid any unnecessary travel and keep up to date with all the latest information.
A slip on the corner of Kaka Rd and Moa St in St Leonards. Photo: Gregor Richardson
Power cut after tree falls
Power has been cut to about 20 properties in Blanket Bay after a landslip brought a tree down on powerlines this morning.
The tree had fallen across Blanket Bay Rd, near Sawyers Bay.
The Aurora website recorded twenty properties on Blanket Bay Rd, St Leonards Dr and Upper Junction Rd as without power. It was estimated power was cut about 10am and would be restored about 4pm.
Flooding on Anzac Ave, Dunedin, this morning. Pic Peter Mcintosh
'Significant rainfall'
Chris Henderson, Dunedin City Emergency Management Operations Centre Incident Controller, said crews were assessing damage and identifying hazards this morning.
“We have had significant rainfall over the past 24 hours and it is not over yet. While our stormwater network continues to work well, there is surface water in parts of the city.
"Fewer cars on the road means less disturbance to the water and it also means our crews can work more quickly to clear debris from streets and drains.
“I want to thank our crews and contractors and emergency services for their incredible efforts throughout this storm event and to Dunedin residents: thank you for your continued support and patience."
A number of roads in Mosgiel were closed overnight because of surface flooding along with Surrey St and Dalziel Rd.
Three-Mile Hill and Kaikorai Valley Road, between Townley Road and Stone Street, is closed due to surface flooding.
State Highway 88, Station Road to Borlases Road, at Port Chalmers near Dunedin, has reopened after a flooding closure. People should take care on this route.
There are small slips on Otago Peninsula, and caution is advised. A down tree has blocked part of Portobello Road near Bacon Street. Transit is via Highcliff and there are no buses beyond Broad Bay.
Sandbags are available at Mosgiel Memorial Park gym carpark (entry through Church Street to avoid the worst of the surface flooding) and Dunedin Ice Stadium carpark.
Meteorologist Paris Marshall said the red warning over coastal Dunedin and Clutha would be lifted from 10am.
"The intensities are generally decreasing as that rain band loses steam, but even with this decreasing trend this rain is still falling on what has been accumulated through the night and early morning," she said.
"We've still got the watch out until 10am because this is still a significant amount of rain."
Sunday rain prompts preparations
Contractors and city council staff were on the job overnight after nearly 40mm fell in Dunedin and nearly 50mm in Mosgiel between 9am and 9pm yesterday.
South Dunedin residents were stoic as they trickled through the Dunedin Ice Stadium carpark yesterday filling sandbags for the second time in two years, in a bid to protect their properties from anticipated flooding.
It followed a rare ‘‘red’’ weather warning from MetService for heavy rain along coastal Dunedin and the Clutha district, issued at noon yesterday and in place until 9am today.
Dunedin’s Civil Defence bunker was activated soon after.
Localised flooding started to affect low-lying parts of the city mid-afternoon, so St Clair resident Daniel Suddaby joined the queue of people filling sandbags at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.
He said he lived in a low-lying street which flooded last time MetService issued a ‘‘red’’ warning, in 2024.
He said he was fortunate last time that it flooded only his garage — not his house. But he was not taking any chances with either.
‘‘I’ve just got heaps of junk in the garage at the moment. But it’s valuable junk — kids’ bikes, freezers with food in and stuff like that.
‘‘Doesn’t it always seem to be the way. The more junk you have in the garage ... and then it floods.
‘‘It’s like, here we go again. As soon as it turned to a ‘red’ warning, I knew we could be in trouble.’’
‘‘Half our house got flooded. I think the insurance was like $40,000.’’
Yesterday afternoon, she still had a little hope that the weather forecast was wrong or inflated.
‘‘Wishful thinking? Fingers crossed.’’
Ms Wright said she was disappointed South Dunedin residents were again going through the stress of potential flood damage to their houses.
‘‘I would have thought that this would all be sorted by now. I mean, it’s been going on for years and years, hasn’t it?,’’ Ms Wright said.
South Dunedin resident Aaron Hannah said he bought his house in Surrey St about a year ago, in the belief it would be all right during heavy rain events like this.
However, he was concerned about how his property would cope with the heavy rainfall overnight.
‘‘I’m just doing a bit of sandbagging as a precaution.’’
Surrey St has historically been a problem spot, so the council closed it early yesterday afternoon and installed a flood protection barrier.
Yesterday, MetService said ‘‘a significant amount of rain’’ was expected last night, and would be ‘‘especially impactful’’ around low-lying parts of Dunedin and the Taieri Plain.
It said dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips would cause ‘‘threat to life’’, and would disrupt travel, make some roads impassable, and isolate communities.
Affected residents were also urged not to enter floodwaters, and avoid travel today.
Mosgiel residents were asked not to shower or flush their toilets for several hours last night while a malfunctioning valve at the wastewater pumping system was repaired.
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker was in the city’s Civil Defence bunker in Moray Pl, where staff were working to prepare for possible evacuations and the possibility of declaring a state of emergency.
Contractors also checked and cleared the city’s stormwater systems, swept gutters and checked mud tanks in low-lying and high-risk areas in preparation for the weather event.
‘‘We’re just keeping a really, really sharp eye on the weather and what’s happening,’’ she said.
The city was ready to minimise any impacts, and contractors and staff were on standby overnight to respond to any incidents.
‘‘I know how stressed people get when it rains, and looking at the forecast, it’s incredibly stressful.
‘‘I was there in 2024 when people were evacuated to the stadium. It was awful, just horrible for people to have to be evacuated.
‘‘I remember people with their pets there and the amount of stress that people are under.
‘‘It’s a really hard situation. We’re just making sure we’re prepared for the worst case, and praying for the best.’’
Ms Barker said it was not because a state of emergency was expected to be declared.
‘‘Mark Mitchell has been an amazing minister for making sure that he’s on the ground during Civil Defence emergencies throughout New Zealand.
‘‘He’s just showing himself to be very willing to come down and lend a hand when we need a hand.’’
State Highway 88, from Dunedin to Port Chalmers, was closed near Sawyers Bay due to ‘‘major flooding’’ .
The road beneath the railway overpass at Sawyers Bay was inundated. One resident said it was ‘‘unusual’’ and suspected a blocked drain.
Ms Barker said the council was aware of the issue and was working to fix it last night.
While a main image being circulated on social media showing that flooding was genuine, she said AI-generated fake photos of flooding had been circulating online, which had been ‘‘utterly unhelpful’’ for people working in the Civil Defence bunker.
