The evacuation of 195 tourists from Milford Sound has been put off until tomorrow due to weather conditions after flooding caused road slips and cut access to and from the township yesterday.
About 70 "stragglers’’, located on the Te Anau side of the Homer Tunnel (State Highway 94), were evacuated by helicopter although nearly 500, including tourists and about 300 staff, remained trapped in Milford Sound last night.
While heavy rain warnings still remain in place across much of the South today, the MetService has lifted its red warning for Fiordland, saying heavy rain was easing in the area.
People were advised to keep up to date with the latest forecasts in case any changes were made.
Emergency Management Southland controller Angus McKay said weather conditions did not look promising for helicopter access today and flooding and road closures across Southland meant it was better for the tourists to remain in Milford where they were safe and being cared for.
"Road closures mean we cannot get the tourists to any of their destinations if we bring them out of Milford and there are accommodation challenges due to other travellers being caught up in the effects of the flooding which is becoming widespread across Southland.
"Forecasts look better for tomorrow, so we will continue with plans to safely evacuate everybody in the morning."
Meanwhile a rescue operation is underway after 31 people were left stranded when a landslide hit Howden Hut on the Routeburn Track.
Mr McKay earlier said the priority this morning was to get the 31 out from the hut area, and others from other huts on various tracks.
"We don’t have an exact number of people in the different huts, but we are working with the helicopter pilots on how the evacuations can be done," Mr McKay said.
The evacuation plan to move 195 tourists out of Milford Sound Piopiotahi was also being worked on this morning, with the aim to have the plan in place by midday.
The goal was to evacuate the tourists this afternoon, but that plan very weather dependent.
The Cleddau River has caused flooding in the sound and Milford Road was closed yesterday and is likely to stay closed for some days because of slips and flooding damage. Heavy rain has continued to fall in Fiordland and throughout Southland overnight.
New Zealand Transport Agency journey manager Peter Brown said a small number of tourists were also taken by helicopter from Forks Bridge, about 1.5km from the Homer Tunnel, yesterday afternoon.
‘‘There is extensive damage from Lake Gunn to the Homer Tunnel which will delay us opening this road quickly and there is still a section we haven’t inspected due to bad weather preventing a flyover.’’
A state of emergency was declared by Southland Mayor Gary Tong about 2pm yesterday to allow for a co-ordinated response to the flooding, caused by a combination of high tides and heavy rain.
Civil Defence Emergency Management Southland controller Angus McKay said helicopters airlifted Hollyford Track hikers from two walking huts outside Milford last night.
Those trapped inside Milford were moved to higher ground throughout the day.
Although many took up residence at Mitre Peak Lodge, others remained safe on cruise ships in the dock, he said.
Ultimate Hikes New Zealand general manager Noel Saxon, who manages Mitre Peak Lodge, said those who had been relocated to the lodge were comfortable and dry.
Despite the threat of increased flooding in the coming days, response teams and businesses in the area were ‘‘well equipped’’ to deal with the conditions, he said.
‘‘Milford’s really used to this kind of thing. They have the road closed through winter quite a lot so they’ve got really good practices in place.
‘‘They’ll look after everybody and feed everybody and make sure they’re warm.’’
Tourism operators would be putting plans in place and ‘‘as they can’’, would fly out any tourists who urgently needed to get out of Fiordland.
A New Zealand Transport Agency report said significant damage had been caused to the road and rainfall rates were 55mm an hour.
Milford Rd, between Cascade Creek and West Gate (State Highway 94), had also been closed after ‘‘numerous’’ slips from consistent rainfall.
An Air Milford spokeswoman said no flights would be sent out until weather conditions were deemed safe, which could be Wednesday ‘‘at the earliest’’.
In Dunedin, city council staff and contractors were preparing ahead of the rain, checking and clearing stormwater and wastewater infrastructure.
Residents were advised to check drains, gutters and grates were clear to handle a large downpour.
The Otago Regional Council’s duty flood officer, Lauren Hunter, said Lakes Wanaka and Wakatipu were rising, but neither lake was expected to reach flood levels.
River flows were also rising as a result of the heavy and consistent rainfall.
‘‘We are paying close attention to the Dart and Pomahaka Rivers in particular, which are above high flow thresholds.’’
