A strong storm battered New Zealand on Thursday, sparking a state of emergency in flooded South Island towns and dozens of cancelled flights in and out of the capital city of Wellington.
As the former Tropical Cyclone Fehi had slammed most of the country, heavy rain flooded the southern city of Dunedin and west coast town of Buller, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency and ask people to avoid travelling by road.
Winds up to 135 kmh (84 mph) tore down traffic lights and trees in the capital Wellington. More than 26 flights were cancelled at Wellington Airport on Thursday and authorities halted the city's train services.
Trees felled by high winds ripped apart power lines and left around 2,800 people without power in the South Island, electricity distributor Orion said in a statement.
In the city of Nelson, at the northern tip of the south island, the airport was closed due to flooding and around 50 people were evacuated from areas by the coast.
The country's weather forecaster Metservice said heavy rain and winds would continue as the storm would travel south-east across the South Island until it cleared the country on Friday.
