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Wild weather batters New Zealand

Kim Westcott, Saturday January 6, 2018 - 16:39 AEDT

After a harrowing few days, conditions are beginning to settle across the country.

A deep subtropical low drifted south and slowly moved across the country, whipping up waves, gales and heavy rain.

Winds reached up to 161km/h in Kaeo in the Far North District, 128km/h at Marsden Point and 115km/h about the Coromandel Coast on Thursday as the low pressure moved towards the northwestern part of the country.

Over 100mm of rain was recorded for parts of the North Island, including the Coromandel Ranges and Rotorua, while Kerikeri saw 85mm.

By Friday, the low pressure system began its approach, with a big band of rain spreading across eastern parts of the North Island and as far south as Canterbury in the South Island. Parts of the upper North Island experienced a storm surge and waves lapped across the Hairini Bridge in Tauranga. Winds of over 100km/h were recorded in the Wellington region with a high tide which threatened to flood the South Coast and exposed parts of the harbour. Across Cook Strait, waves were estimated to be around eight metres.

The system moved across central parts of the North Island on Friday evening and began to move east and offshore during Saturday. Rain started to ease across northern and western parts of the North Island and for much of the South Island. Cool and brisk southerly winds are being drawn up and across eastern parts of the South Island in its wake.

While between the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel in the northeast, a warning exists for heavy rain on Sunday, warnings have been now lifted for other parts of the country.

- Weatherzone

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