Eleven homes at Coal Creek were evacuated this morning due to flooding, while storm-force winds and rain caused havoc in nearby Greymouth.
Near gale force winds lifted roofs in Greymouth, snow fell at Blackball and Jacksons, and Arthur's Pass was completely cut off in the first polar blast of winter. There were reports of sleet in Boddytown and Cobden, where floodwaters were also causing problems.
Ross, Harihari and Whataroa schools were all shut by high winds; in many cases the school buses could not get through, and the power supply was coming and going.
The Runanga Takeaways was the first call-out for the Cobden, Runanga and Greymouth fire brigades, when about 10cm of water went through the shop.
Bryan Blanch said they were open as a dairy this morning, but could not cook.
"We got flooded out from the creek next door, which blocked up. There's a lot of cleaning.''
Families and young children were evacuated to the Runanga fire station about 8.30am after severe flooding in Ward Street, Runanga, and around the Camp Creek overbridge, at Coal Creek.
Cobden fire chief Gary Pollock said that with water blocking access to homes in the McLeans Pit area, firefighters had to walk around the rear of the properties to help the owners carry their pets to safety.
Transport operator Cliff Sandrey said he used a loader to get Spring Creek miners across the flooded Coal Creek and back home again after their shift ended.
Other call-outs included to a window that was blown out in Bright Street. Flooding was particularly bad in Peel, Hall and Ward streets.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn authorised contractors to open the 'cut' in Cobden, allowing backed up floodwaters to escape to sea.
Range Creek, running through the middle of the suburb, burst its banks.
Mr Kokshoorn said the water was about "one foot under some houses'' and more rain was forecast.
"I'd rather be safe than sorry,'' he said.
In Greymouth, Kidsfirst Kingergarten in Shakespeare Street was closed, and the Greymouth Star lost part of its roof and a roller door buckled in the strong winds. Trampolines went flying - including two in one street - and Mawhera Quay was closed for a time while firemen secured the roof and frontage of an old second-hand shop, which threatened to collapse.
Grey District Council civil defence emergency manager Allan Wilson said they were worried about the parapet and were having it assessed.
Department of Conservation staff at Arthur's Pass said 15cm of snow had fallen overnight, and by mid-morning it was still snowing. With Porters Pass also shut, the alpine village was quiet this morning.
Ross School principal Shane Baillie, who lives nearer Hokitika, could not get past the weighbridge south of Ruatapu.
"There were trees down, the contractors were busy working on that,'' he said.
State highway 6 and the school were both shut at Inangahua Junction. By 9.30am the red marks at the top of the roadside pegs were all that were visible between the turnoff for the State highway and the village. It meant travellers could get from Reefton to Westport, but not Reefton to Murchison and Nelson.
Greymouth weather observer Phil Forrest recorded 147mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am today. Kumara had 90mm by 7am.
The NZ Transport Agency was more hopeful of reopening Arthur's Pass at lunchtime, than it was of opening the Lewis.
"Our guys have been working through the night in continuous shifts. De-icing agent had been put down, which will help us to remove the snow,'' West Coast senior asset manager Mark Pinner said.
Electricity was restored to South Westland by 11.30am today, after problems throughout the morning.
Westpower said the first power outage struck at 3.21am, with most problems a result of trees falling across the lines.
The Waiho power scheme was supplying South Westland, as there was a fault on the main line from Hokitika. There were also problems at Kowhitirangi.
Haast residents said there was not a cloud in the sky and it was clear enough at the Jacobs River School for children to think about how they would watch the transit of Venus today.
