A rainy day is expected to make the return trip difficult for commuters from Wellington

Wellington commuters will face a difficult return trip, with some returning in waterlogged cars and those in the northern suburbs on the verge of struggling with train cancellations and slips after a day of persistent rain in the capital .

Johnsonville train line is affected by a landslide and commuters to Khandallah and Johnsonville are urged to seek alternative transportation.

Metlink says trains will run every half hour from Wellington and Khandallah to the peak, but will remain suspended between Khandallah and Johnsonville. Bus drivers were asked to accept train tickets on board.

Up to 20 cars in the Riverbank parking lot along the Hutt River were submerged as the river level rose.

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It is understood that Petone and Plimmerton stations are affected by flooding but remain open.

Cole Douglas got a call from his boss around noon asking where he parked his car. He knew something was wrong when he saw a crowd of people looking at the parking lot.

“I saw all the people by the river and I was like ‘oh that stinks’.

“I have never experienced this kind of flooding. There isn’t much you can do about it. The car was old anyway – it’s probably time for an upgrade. “

Roads closed in Hutt, Porirua, Kāpiti

At Hutt Valley, Block Rd in Melling, Riverbank Car Park and Harcourt Drive are now closed. At Porirua, Grays Rd is now closed.

On the Kāpiti coast, Te Kupe Rd and the intersection of Waterfall and Emerald Glen roads are closed. Maungakotukutuku Rd is closed due to slips.

A detour is in place on Rimu Rd at Paraparaumu and a stop / go system is in place on Nikau Palm Rd, which is open but reduced to one lane.

The slow front causing the heavy rains is expected to hide over much of the lower North Island through Monday.

A number of warnings remain in place for the upper South Island and the lower North Island, with thunderstorms also possible for central areas of the North Island in the afternoon and the evening.

Heavy rains are expected to continue to fall throughout the day in Wellington, Kāpiti, Horowhenua and parts of Taranaki due to a slow low that has moved across the lower part of the North Island.

Residents of the Kāpiti coast were urged to stay in their homes. Residents of the Wellington suburb of Seatoun narrowly avoided an order to evacuate their homes when a blocked drain opened just in time.

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Fire and Emergency NZ said there had been reports of flooding around Airlie Rd in Plimmerton, north of Wellington. This is the same area that suffered severe flooding in 2020.

Porirua mayor Anita Baker said Wellington Water cleaned a drain with a pump and someone asked for sandbags to keep the water away.

Wellington City Council spokesperson Victoria Barton-Chapple said reports of flooding started reaching the council contact center shortly before 5 a.m.

“There have been quite a few reports of surface flooding in Tawa, Khandallah, Karori, Seatoun, Newtown, Ngaio and Kaiwharawhara, with a few blocked sumps and dancing sewer outlets reported around the city as well,” a- she declared.

At 11:45 a.m., contractors at the Riverbank parking lot began to move all remaining cars to higher ground.

Although the Riverbank parking lot is regularly flooded, it is unusual for cars to be taken by the flooding of the river.

Anthony Robinson, head of emergency management at Hutt City Council, said the council monitors river levels and closes the parking lot once a particular threshold is reached.

Although the parking lot was closed earlier than it normally is, the council was caught off guard by the heavy rains.

“We also experienced an extremely rapid rise in river levels, which was not expected.”

Following the decision to close the parking lot, the town hall sent an SMS alert to car owners and called in three tow trucks to relocate the vehicles.

Marie Garcia parked her daughter’s car just before 9 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., she was watching a towing contractor heading for the blue tailgate before driving it over higher ground.

” I did not think [the river would rise] so fast. The carpet will be all wet, but at least it still rolls.

Paekākāriki Hill Road resident Dianne McLennan woke up to find she was unable to walk down the hill. Flooding across the road had started as early as 6:45 a.m. when her partner tried to go to work.

South Wairarapa Council advises motorists to be careful on rural roads. Greater Wellington Regional and Fulton Hogan monitor the Ruamahanga River at the Waihenga Bridge.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said Wellington’s heavy rain warning is expected to last until 9 p.m. Monday and possibly later.

Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt recorded the highest rainfall on record with 72mm in six hours until 9 a.m. Porirua was 60.8mm at the same time, while Kelburn was 55mm and Paraparaumu was 51.8mm.

Monday would have persistent heavy rain throughout the day, but the large dumping grounds were mostly passed, he said.

Weather alerts in place

A heavy rain warning is in place for Mount Taranaki until 9:00 a.m. Tuesday. MetService warns of further periods of heavy rain, with a further fall from 100mm to 140mm.

According to the thunderstorm forecast from MetService, there is a moderate chance of thunderstorms forming over Waitomo, Taupō, Taumarunui, southern Taranaki, Whanganui, northern ManawatÅ«, Taihape and Central Hawke’s Bay on Monday afternoon and evening. .