Weather: Road Closures, Flights, Ferries, Schools & Evacuations

• A state of emergency has been declared for the Selwyn district in Canterbury.
• Wellington's wind warning has now been lifted to RED with MetService warning of a threat to life from flying items and falling trees.
• MetService's heavy rain warning and watches remain in place for Gisborne, the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Kaikōura and Canterbury, including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
• Air New Zealand has cancelled flights in and out of the capital until at least midday.
• Ferry sailings have been cancelled until at least Friday afternoon.
• Strong wind watches are also in place in Auckland, Great Barrier, Coromandel, Waikato north of Hamilton, Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua, Kāpiti Coast, Marlborough Sounds, Buller, Grey, Westland districts and Nelson Lakes.
• A road snowfall warning is in place for Lewis Pass (SH7), Lindis Pass (SH8), Arthur's Pass and Porters Pass on State Highway 73.

Road Closures

The highways closed across the country due to slips and flooding:

• SH1 Kaitaia to Okaihau (Mangamuka Gorge).
• SH25 Tapu to Ruamahunga.
• SH75 Birdlings Flat to Little River

The New Zealand Transport agency have also marked Auckland Harbour Bridge as a road hazard and have asked driver to take extra care.

They said temporary lane reductions were possible and for drivers to expect delays.

The Christchurch city council has reported several roads closures within the region:

• Fitzgerald Avenue between Kilmore Street and Cambridge Terrace.
• Cambridge Terrace from Barbadoes Street to Churchill Street.
• New Brighton Road between Rawson Street and Pages Road.
• Avonside Drive between Wainoni Road and Kerrs Road.
• Avonside Drive/Swanns Road between Retreat Road and Woodham Road.
• Empire Road from Main North Road.
• River Road.
• Ernlea Terrace closed at Colombo Street.
• Hunter Terrace.
• Riverlaw Terrace.
• Clarendon Terrace.
• Richardson Terrace.
• Eastern Terrace.

Banks Peninsula is also riddled with road closures:

• SH75 from Tai Tapu to Akaroa.
• Gebbies Pass Road from SH75 to Charteris Bay Road.
• Kinloch Road from Okuiti Valley Road to Bossu Road.
• Reynolds Valley Road from Okuiti Valley Road to Bossy Road.
• Governors Bay Teddington Road from Gebbies Pass Road to Bamfords Road.
• Bossy Road from #220 to Lands End Road.
• Port Levy Pigeon Bay Road from Pa Road to Little Pigeon Road.
• Stony Bay Rd is closed from the first cattle stop.

Evacuations - Selwyn District

Selwyn residents have been forced to evacuate after a state of emergency was declared on Thursday morning.

Mayor Sam Broughton said emergency services and Civil Defence volunteers were working to help people evacuate at Selwyn Huts because of rising river levels.

Upper Selwyn Huts resident Keith Morrison said people were knocking on doors telling residents to evacuate.

Some are in denial about the effects of climate change on the community, but recent weather drives home the reality, Morrison said.

"It's as bad as I've ever seen it. The roads are the worst I've seen it," he said.

"But around the houses it's all ponding, so it's as bad as it gets.

"It's a long story, but we're planning for climate change adaptation and eventually over the next few decades needing to relocate, so this is just another prompt - that's how I see it. It might actually help the community to realise it's real because a lot of people are still in denial about it."

It seemed the river topped the stop bank every year now, Morrison said.

Schools closures

A number of schools have been closed across Canterbury as the region deals with the second day of heavy rain.

• Lincoln High School.
• Ellesmere College.
• Darfield High School.
• Tai Tapu School.

In the Selwyn District - which has declared a state of emergency - only one of the district's four high schools is open, Rolleston College, though it urged whānau to travel only if it was safe to do so.

Darfield, Ellesmere and Lincoln High Schools are all closed due to concerns about road safety, or surface flooding on school grounds.

Selwyn's Tai Tapu School is also closed, as is Ashburton College in Mid-Canterbury.

Ferry Cancellations

• Interislander has cancelled sailings through to at least Friday afternoon.
• Bluebridge has cancelled all sailings through to Saturday morning.

Cook straight ferry crossings have been cancelled through to at least Friday afternoon because of the high swells in the Strait.

MetService said the southerly swells would reach about five metres on Thursday.

Interislander has cancelled sailings through until 4pm on Friday between Wellington and Picton and 8.50pm between Picton and Wellington.

"All impacted passengers are being contacted directly and we are putting on additional return sailings on Saturday evening and Sunday morning to accommodate impacted customers," Interislander said.

"We are monitoring the forecasts closely and will advise if further cancellations are required."

Bluebridge has cancelled all sailings through to Saturday morning.

"All customers affected by these cancellations have been advised by email and text.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and if further sailings are impacted, we will notify you via text and email at the earliest opportunity," Bluebridge said.

"Additional sailings have been added to our schedule on Saturday to accommodate our affected customers: 1:30pm from Wellington and 7:15pm from Picton."

Flight cancellations

The severe weather has caused numerous flight cancellations across the board particularly in Wellington.

Due to severe winds, majority of flights in and out of the capital have been cancelled until midday.

Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said current conditions were expected to continue impacting their network throughout the day.

"We encourage customers travelling to check the Air New Zealand app or the arrivals and departures page on our website for the latest updates.

"As the wind is likely to continue throughout the day, we're offering flexibility for those with travel to and from Wellington."

He said customers were encouraged to self-serve and change or defer their travel plans where possible.

RNZ is New Zealand's statutory civil defence lifeline radio broadcaster, providing vital information and updates as they come to hand.

This story was first published by RNZ