Bridges shut, farmers on edge as worse rainfall expected in Wairarapa

Farmers are on edge according to South Wairarapa's mayor as bridges shut and heavy rain looms only ten days after the last deluge.

Torrential rain at the end of June washed out a lifeline bridge at Turanganui for the second time this year and the region, including the Tararua Range, remains under a heavy rain watch until 6am on Thursday.

MetService said there was a high chance of upgrading the watch to warning level, with an updated forecast expected at 10am on Wednesday.

Mayor Dame Fran Wilde told RNZ farmers are "very worried".

"They've had two [weather] events one in February and one about ten days ago and the ground is saturated. We can't stop the weather unfortunately and that's the problem.

"We're getting too much rain, big events, all at once - three in a row is too much for us."

She said people were "pretty resilient" and would have prepared for the forecast, stocking up on supplies.

"But it doesn't help our local economy and it's also costing the ratepayers a massive amount of money in bridge repairs and road repairs."

In an update on Wednesday morning, South Wairarapa District Council said all bridges into Martinborough had closed due to rising river levels.

The council said Waihenga Bridge at State Highway 53, Ponatahi Bridge, and Lower Valley Bridge on Kahutara Road were shut - leaving a winding, rural road through Longbush the only route in and out of the township.

The closures mean a usual 15-minute drive between Martinborough and Greytown now takes about 40 minutes.

Reports on social media suggested some slips and debris have come down overnight on State Highway 2, Remutaka Hill between Upper Hutt and Featherston.

The NZ Transport Agency and police said they had not received any reports, however a spokesperson for the Transport Agency said the "ongoing wet weather means there is a heightened risk of slips and rockfalls across the network".

They said any significant disruptions would be found on NZTA's journey planner or issued on local Facebook pages.

An RNZ reporter said traffic was moving at the base of the Featherston side of the hill around 9am.

South Wairarapa's deputy mayor Rob Taylor is warning the worst rainfall is yet to come for the already saturated region.

Taylor said the region's emergency operations centre was up and running in preparation.

"But clearly, the weather is expected to get much worse.

"The ground is already sodden so we're going to expect high levels of rainfall, more flooding and the closures that we already have are possibly going to increase over the next 24 hours."

South Wairarapa councillor and chair of the infrastructure committee Aidan Ellims said farmers were feeling the burn of back-to-back flooding.

"All those rural areas out of Martinborough, they're suffering. The farmers are suffering. Those farmers are preparing for lambing in the next few weeks or so.

"They've got a lot on their minds and on their plates."

He said it was important to keep rural roads open as much as possible, but noted some communities were already isolated.

Slips have shut Ngakonui and Wainuioru roads, Whaktatomotomo Road at Te Rata Road is also closed, as is White Rock Road at Lagoon Hills due to flooding.

Cape River and Tora roads are accessible by four-wheel drive only.