Firefighters are battling numerous blazes as the winds move up the country.
As of 6.30am Fire and Emergency New Zealand had around 30 crews responding to about 10 wildfires from South Canterbury to Hurunui, Southern Communications Centre Shift Manager Kevin Barbara said.
Most were in rural areas. The largest was in the Glentui area of the Waimakariri District. The only report of fire damage to structures so far was a hayshed.
Trees are partly blocking multiple places on State Highway 1 and SH79 in Mid South Canterbury, police said.
SH7 at the Hanmer turnoff to Springs Junction/Lewis Pass is closed as trees have blown into power lines.
Most of them are due to trees coming down over powerlines or previous burn-offs flaring up in strong winds, Southern fire shift manager Andrew Norris said.
Norris said there had been a "significant weather event" that started with very strong wind around Dunedin early on Thursday evening.
It had caused problems with a fire in a forestry block on Three Mile Hill and started a vegetation fire on Cape Saunders Rd above Portobello.
Crews from Dunedin City and Wakari Rural Fire had got those fires under control by about 2am, after the wind died down and rain arrived. Crews would be returning to check the fires this morning.
Aurora Energy and Powernet are advising that power remains out to some Dunedin customers this morning.
Strong winds caused problems across Otago yesterday, overturning at least one truck and two trailers and tearing a boat from its moorings.
The severe winds, which exceeded 90kmh at times, sent waves across coastal roads alongside Otago Harbour, and localised flooding made navigating roads through Harwood, Otakou and Macandrew Bay especially difficult.
The winds that hit Dunedin moved north and crews from Fairlie, Albury, Geraldine, Timaru, Pleasant Point and Cave attended "a multitude of fires" including a hayshed near Fairlie and a plantation along the highway near Albury.
"At...the plantation the winds were so strong that the crews were unable to actually do anything that was effective. They basically let the fire burn through underneath the plantation, just protecting a nearby house," Norris said.
Orion reports more than 2700 homes are without power around Canterbury and Christchurch as the winds batter the area this morning.
Canterbury locals on social media report "crazy" winds with objects blown around properties and windows smashed - with the winds yet to peak.
Norris says, the wind kept moving north - causing a large vegetation fire at Opuha. Fairlie, Geraldine and Temuka fire crews brought that under control.
There had been fires around Waimate, Temuka, Timaru, St Andrews, Methven and Ashburton. They were moving progressively up the island and this morning were around Springfield and Sheffield, Norris said.
"All of the incidents that we've had have been hampered by very strong winds. Trees that are falling over the road are hampering the ability of crews to respond and also bringing down power lines."
Police, fire, power authorities, roading contractors and council staff had had a very busy night.
"We've got trees down all over the place and they'll be working well into the day clearing those."
Around 3.30am police said there were multiple sites on SH1 and SH79 where trees had fallen in high winds and partly blocked roads.
"Please drive with care and expect delays."
A truck driver on SH73 overnight told RNZ he made it through Arthur's Pass to the West Coast, and had seen "the big green highway signs snapped off at ground level," and rocks and branches on the road.
At one point a gust blew his truck into the other lane, he said.
Meanwhile, rain in Bluff, at the bottom of the island, caused surface flooding, affecting two properties. Crews spent several hours there pumping water and helping the occupants.
- additional reporting ODT/RNZ
