The extent of damage caused by widespread flooding in Southland might not be known for weeks, authorities say.
More than 700mm of rain has fallen in the region over the past three days, causing the worst flooding in 10 years.
It knocked out phone lines to Te Anau, prompted the evacuation of trampers and caused the closure of roads and schools.
Some roads have reopened, including State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford, but 20 remain closed.
Authorities are advising caution on roads affected by surface flooding and drivers are urged to get up-to-date information before travelling.
Phone and internet connections in and out of Te Anau were restored about 1.30pm today, after a fibre optic cable was knocked out yesterday afternoon.
Environment Southland said water levels in many swollen rivers were dropping, but residents close to the lower reaches of Southland's rivers were warned to be vigilant as the peak flows move downstream.
The Mataura River is predicted to reach its peak at Seaward Downs tomorrow morning, which will likely cause flooding and road closures in low-lying areas.
Farmers in the Lower Mataura area have been advised by Environment Southland to move their stock.
The Taramoa ponding area, north of Invercargill, was expected to peak between 6pm and 9pm today.
Flood peaks were in the lower reaches of the region's other major rivers, said council incident controller Warren Tuckey.
It would take several days for catchment staff to be able to assess all the stopbanks but there had been only one report so far of a bank being breached by floodwaters - on the Oreti River near Dipton, he said.
Civil Defence emergency management group controller Neil Cruickshank said staff were assessing the extent of damage and starting to plan recovery operations.
However, it could take "several days, if not weeks'' before a full picture of the losses emerged, including damage to stopbanks, roads, bridges, and private property.
People whose property has been damaged can contact Environment Southland from tomorrow morning, but Mr Cruickshank stressed that owners should still deal directly with insurance companies.
"We are trying to build up a picture of the damage - we are not taking responsibility for fixing people's problems,'' he said. "But if we get a picture of common issues involving different agencies, we may be able to help coordinate recovery activities.''
MetService is forecasting another front to hit the West Coast of the South Island over the next couple of days, dropping more rain on already saturated land.
