Fierce weather has gripped the South Island, with fires, flooding and thunderstorms wreaking havoc, and State Highway 73 in Arthur's Pass closed.
Due to strong winds State Highway 73 between Springfield and Arthurs Pass village (Porters Pass) is closed, Christchurch Transport Operations Centre has said. The alternative route State Highway 7 (Lewis Pass) is still open but a strong wind warning is in place. Motorists are advised to take extreme care or delay their travel.
Further south police are asking drivers to avoid driving in Queenstown, Alexandra, and surrounding Central Otago rural areas if possible due to severe flooding.
A fire has broken out southwest of Christchurch near the Rakaia River. Local man Gary McGregor says there are strong winds in the area and a fire has reignite burnt stumps from a bonfire. He says it looks as if the fire has reached a tree line.
Fire crews are also battling a vegetation fire in the Ashburton District.
Meanwhile, over on the West Coast, around 200 Civil Defence personnel are on alert as the weather system sets its sights on Haast.
MetService has issued a thunderstorm warning for the area, with wind gusts exceeding 110km/h expected and warning of one or two small tornadoes which may appear as a result.
Chris Raine of West Coast Civil Defence is warning residents to stay off their landlines because of the threat of lightning strikes. Residents are also advised to move away from windows and secure loose materials on their property.
Heavy rain is expected for much of the West Coast region, and severe northerly gales are expected in Canterbury and Marlborough. Strong wind warnings have been issued on State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura and on the Lewis and Arthur's passes.
Drivers of high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists are advised to take extra care. A trailer has already overturned on SH73 on the Springfield to West Coast Road.
Also this afternoon on State Highway 79 on the Geraldine to Fairlie Highway, a campervan has rolled but no one was injured.
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