Electricity supplies and transport services are still disrupted in Wellington four days after a severe storm.
Powerful gales on Thursday night initially cut electricity supplies to up to 30,000 households in the Wellington region, while KiwiRail said tracks have been severely damaged.
As some people in the Wellington region face another night without power, Wellington Electricity said it might be another week until some are back on the grid. Chief executive Greg Skelton said about 550 customers could be without power on Monday night.
Crews were to reconnect homes in Newtown, Brooklyn and Karori on Monday, and in Johnsonville, Tawa and Porirua on Tuesday. However, customers in Pauatahanui, Paekakariki Hill and Moonshine Valley may face a longer wait.
Mr Skelton said he understands that people's goodwill is running low and the lines company is trying to improve the way it communicates with those whose power is still off.
He said the storm damage was three times worse than the company expected, but crews are doing their best.
Pauatahanui resident Melanie Neal said her family has been without power since Thursday night and linesmen turned up for the first time on Sunday to cut trees off powerlines.
Ms Neal said her power company and Wellington Electricity have done their best given the number of properties cut off, but have not been effective in keeping residents in the loop.
However, she said the cuts have made her family think about being more prepared.
"It's been pretty awful, to be honest, and it actually made us realise how we're not really ready for a long-term emergency like that. You think you're ready - we had water and we had all the other bits and pieces that we needed and all the canned stuff in the larder, but I think we're going to go out and buy a generator and we're just going to really get on to being a bit more active."
Ms Neal said they are lucky to have borrowed a generator, so at least they could use their electric pump to get water from their tank.
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Long queues formed for replacement bus services in Petone. Photo: RNZ
'Unprecedented damage' to tracks
KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn says damage caused to train tracks during Wellington's storm last week is unprecedented.
Thursday's storm washed away sea walls and left train tracks and overhead lines badly damaged. Some 1400 cubic metres of fill including huge rocks from as far away as Ohakune is being used to rebuild the tracks.
Mr Quinn said equipment has been brought in from outside Wellington and crews have been working 24 hours a day to restore rail services.
On some parts of the Wairarapa line the ground had been washed away, leaving track hanging.
No services will run between Petone and Wellington until further notice. Buses have replaced trains.
KiwiRail said Hutt Valley and Wairarapa commuters should expect longer travel times this week.
Meanwhile, the Wellington Regional Council said fewer peak-hour bus services would be operating, due to some vehicles being damaged during the storm.
Listen to Checkpoint interview with Jim Quinn
Canterbury flooding
Floodwaters are causing problems for the Canterbury Regional Council as it attempts to drain floodwaters that have built up around Tai Tapu.
Council workers have tried but failed to open an outlet to Lake Ellesmere to drain off excess water.
Selwyn District Council civil defence controller Douglas Marshall said strong southerly winds and big swells have made it too dangerous to create a channel to drain away the water and the council would try to carry out the work on Monday.