New Zealand floods: Hundreds forced to evacuate after torrential rain leaves streets submerged

Parts of New Zealand hit by third consecutive day of torrential rain

Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes after torrential rain pelted New Zealand for the third consecutive day.

Residents in parts of the North Island found themselves isolated after landslides, fallen trees and floodwaters blocked highway access.

The stormy weather has also forced some schools to close, airlines to cancel flights and left entire streets submerged.

At least one boat sank during storms near Auckland and the downpours caused a home to slip down into a gully in the suburb of Tāhunanui, outside the city of Nelson

Around 230 homes in Nelson were evacuated on Wednesday and remained off-limits overnight after the Maitai river flooded. The military was pictured patrolling the area overnight.

A flood-inundated car and homes from the overflowing Maitai river in central Nelson (Andrew App/AFP via Getty)

Rachel Reese, Nelson’s mayor, described flash flooding in the city as a “one-in-100-year event”.

She added that the city’s infrastructure was under pressure, telling the television show AM: “We are dealing with a lot of wastewater overflows.”

Data from weather forecaster Metservice revealed that areas in the north of the South Island had seen more than 300mm of rain over 24 hours.

A road is washed away in Nelson (AP)

Resident Robin Reichert told news outlet Stuff that she was “utterly shocked” when her street turned into a raging torrent.

“Within minutes it’s a river,” she said. “That’s how fast it happens.”

Water from the Maitai river is seen leading up to stairs of a property (AFP via Getty)

Another 160 homes in the town of Westport were also temporarily evacuated, but residents have since been allowed to return.

Roads throughout the nation were closed due to flooding and landslides.

In the Buller region, mayor Jamie Cleine told reporters that the rain had so far been lower than forecast but there was more on the way.

Members of the New Zealand defence force provide support in Westport (Reuters)

“Right across the district I believe we have got away relatively unscathed,” Mr Cleine said. “A few people that did choose to self-evacuate last night have been told today that it’s reasonably safe, if they feel OK, to head back to their properties today to check them out while we have this lull.”

Mr Cleine warned that more rain was forecast. Westport was still in recovery from devastating flooding in July 2021, when more than 2000 people were evacuated from 826 properties. Many of the properties were still in the process of being repaired after that disaster.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.