Campers at Totaranui Abel Tasman National Park had a near miss when a tree came down on some of their tents during Tuesday's storm. Photo: Supplied / Warwick Fitzsimmons
Residents in parts of Horowhenua are being urged to conserve water immediately after recent heavy rain and strong winds caused power outages.
The Horowhenua District Council said there was ongoing pressure on water and wastewater systems due to earlier power outages.
People in Foxton, Foxton Beach and Tokomaru have been asked to take shorter showers, avoid watering lawns, delay non-essential water use such as washing cars and outdoor cleaning.
"Power loss to several water and wastewater treatment plants has meant council has had to rely on emergency back-up generators to maintain essential services. In some locations, this has placed additional strain on operations," the council said.
"The key concern at present is the combination of the busy New Year period and high visitor numbers. Foxton and Foxton Beach are experiencing low reservoir levels as demand increases."
The council was able to truck additional water into the network as a precaution to protect supply and ensure contingency for firefighting if required.
Fences and trees are down on Tuesday in the Summerhill area of Palmerston North after a windy night. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
"However, this is a costly measure, and council is asking residents and visitors to help by using water wisely," it said.
People were also asked to "follow the golden rule - if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down".
Thunderstorms still possible
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for much of the inland North Island Wednesday, from Northland through to Wellington.
MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for the ranges in the Tasman district, west of Motueka through until early tomorrow morning.
Heavy rain watches are also in place for the Buller area and the Richmond and Bryant ranges, including the Rai Valley.
MetService said conditions could become severe this afternoon, with downpours of up to 40mm per hour.
They were expected to affect Northland, Auckland, Waikato, through Waitomo and Taranaki, down to Manawatu and Kapiti-Horowhenua to Wellington.
The forecaster said driving conditions will be hazardous, and the rainfall could lead to slips and sudden flooding.
The watch was expected to be lifted at 10pm Wednesday night.
Power outages repair work underway
Horowhenua District Council is expecting power to be mostly restored by Wednesday night.
In its latest statment, the District Council says it was informed by the line company Electra that majority of the Tokomaru township can expect its power restored by about 4pm Wednesday, with further updates to be provided for Ōpiki.
Power has been restored to most of Shannon and parts of Manakau.
The line company says isolated faults remain across the district and affected single homes or small groups of properties could contact Electra on 0800 567 876.
Meanwhile, the council will be providing free disposal of spoiled food waste for affected residents in Foxton, Foxton Beach, Shannon, Ōpiki and Tokomaru.
Drop off will be available in Foxton on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and in Shannon on Sunday only.
The council encourages anyone who need assistance to contact 06 366 0999, or 111 for life-threatening emergencies.
Power has now been partially restored in Shannon and Tokomaru townships, and work has been continuing across surrounding areas.
"Because a number of individual line and pole replacements are still required, some households may continue to be without power for a period while repairs are completed," the council said.
More than 400 households in the North Island were still out of power due to the recent weather events, according to electricity distributor Powerco.
It said Manawatū and Thames-Coromandel are still the most affected regions and it's unsure when power can be restored.
There were 202 households without power in Manawatū, and 198 in Thames-Coromandel through to South Waikato, the company said.
Crews from Electra respond to weather-related power outage damages in Tokomaru on Monday. Photo: Supplied / Facebook
Other affected areas include Wairarapa, Whanganui, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.
A spokesperson from Powerco said field crews were out this morning and throughout the day conducting repairs, including clearing trees from lines and reconnecting downed lines.
"Due to the complexity of the repair work, Powerco is unable to give reconnection times to customers - we acknowledge this is frustrating especially for customers who have been without power since Monday," the company said.
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