A high alert has been issued for the Young Valley-Gillespie Pass circuit track by the Department of Conservation, putting the public on notice the area could be closed until further notice.
The alert was been put up at track entrances and visitor centres and was issued because of the heavy rainfall warning for the headwaters of Lake Wanaka.
The Otago Regional Council water information website reported 110mm had fallen in the 24 hours to 3pm yesterday, bringing the week's rainfall to 169.5mm.
The MetService forecast 150mm to 200mm of rain between 8am yesterday to 2pm today.
The water level of the landslide dam in the Young Valley was 581m yesterday.
It is this feature, which formed in September, 2007, creating a lake about 2km long, that caused Doc and local authorities to implement the code red system, in case the dam should burst and flood the valley below.
The threshold for code red is 300mm of rain.
"Severe weather warnings for the area currently received predict a rain amount that may trigger the code red for the Young Valley. Code red is the total closure of the Young Valley to all public use," Doc spokeswoman Sonya Sawyers said in statement yesterday.
" . . . For now we are advising people to stay out of the Young Valley until further notice."
The situation would be reviewed this morning and, depending on the amount of rain, a code red could be issued this afternoon.
Wanaka residents awoke yesterday to steady rain, bringing about 19mm to rain gauges, and some respite for parched gardens.
By 11am the calm conditions had been replaced by strong northwest winds whipping up whitecaps on Lake Wanaka.
The forecast gale passed over, although there was still a strong 41kmh northwest wind, gusting at times to 69kmh.
Light rain is expected in Wanaka this morning before clearing.
While Wanaka got off relatively lightly with the wind, conditions were not so good in the Mt Aspiring National Park.
There, gales were gusting to between 110kmh and 130kmh from 1000m to 3000m above sea level.
The freezing level was expected to lower to 2400m overnight, which should add a fresh cap of snow to the highest peaks.
Today, heavy rain is expected to continue in the park, easing to showers this afternoon.
The gales are expected to ease by this evening, while the freezing level will drop again to about 2200m.
The Matukituki River was flowing at 536cumecs at 3pm yesterday, while the Clutha River at the Cardrona River confluence was at 321cumecs.
