Wellington battered but flights resume

UPDATED: Wellington Airport has reopened after it was closed during one of the worst storms to hit Wellington in years.

The airport says it is up to individual airlines whether they want to resume their scheduled flights.

Air New Zealand has resumed some services out of Wellington, it says on its website. 

"Air New Zealand is now able to resume limited services in and out of Wellington. However, due to the strong winds there are restrictions on the number of domestic gates able to be used so this will limit the number of services able to be operated.

"International services departing Wellington today are also likely to be delayed," it says.

Air New Zealand jet services in and out of Christchurch are continuing to operate but only a small number of Link services are operating.

Services in and out of Queenstown are continuing to operate, however, Mt Cook services into and out of Queenstown are operating intermittently where weather permits.

The situation remains under ongoing review.

10am:

Wild weather is expected to ease later today but travel in and out of Wellington remains disrupted after a severe storm struck the city overnight.

Heavy rain and winds of up to 200km/h buffeted the capital, affecting transport services and leaving thousands without power.

Wellington Airport was closed overnight and all flights in and out before 8am this morning were cancelled. 

Air New Zealand suspended check-in operations until 10am.

The airline says the situation is under ongoing review and affected travellers should check its website for updates.

Ferry services have been affected by the wild weather, with the Interislander yesterday announcing it had cancelled its ferry services for the next three days.

Waves in the Cook Strait were predicted to reach between seven and eight metres high, above the limit of six metre for ferries.

Road and rail travellers have also been disrupted by the storm.

The rail line between Petone and Wellington has been closed, as well as the link between Waikanae and Paekakariki. Signal problems are likely to cause delays between Porirua and Wellington.

School buses have been cancelled and commuter buses are not travelling into Eastbourne or Wellington’s south coast.

Main roads are open but extreme caution is being advised. Slips have closed some minor roads.  

Nearly 30,000 homes remain without power. Lines company Wellington Electricity says the winds and rain had damaged the city’s electricity infrastructure.

The company warned there could be delays because of the huge volume of work.

Affected areas included Trentham, Titahi Bay, Wingate, Wainuiomata, Miramar, Kingsley Heights, Makara, Oharu Valley, Belmont, Seaview, Petone, Newlands, Tawa, Plimmerton, Mana, Gracefield, Waterloo, Korukoru Days Bay, Naenae, Waitangirua and Porirua.