It had been a long time coming and was rather underwhelming, but Wanaka finally received more than 2mm of rain yesterday for the first time in more than a month.
Thirty-four days had passed since 2.2mm of rain was recorded on December 13, and no rain at all had fallen since Christmas Day.
Lake and river levels have dropped significantly and extremely dry vegetation has created a fire risk, as shown with the fire on Mt Alpha on January 3 and its reigniting hot spots.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand principal rural fire officer Graeme Still said he was pleased there was a bit of rain around the region, as it gave firefighters some time off.
''It's nice to be quieter after a busy day yesterday, where we had five fires in the Otago region. The rain gives us some breathing space.''
He said the rain helped the effort to extinguish the Mt Alpha fire, but more was still needed.
''Any little bit of rain helps, but we need more to sink in.''
The cause of the fire is expected to be made public today, after an assessment of the scene was conducted by a fire investigator two weeks ago.
