South Islanders in storm clean-up mode, after floods smash riverside farms

Damage caused by this week's storm that lashed the South Island is becoming clearer, as raging rivers recede off peaks across Te Wai Pounamu.

The destructive southerly system made its way up the country, prompting heavy rain and strong wind warnings for parts of the central North Island by MetService, as of Thursday afternoon.

Halfway between storm-hit Cheviot and Kaikōura in the Hundalee Hills, the Anderson family breed and farm sheep, and run beef cattle across 1100 hectares.

The family has farmed the site near the Conway River since the mid-1940s.

Edward 'Woody' Anderson said the river's flows were intense, due to heavy rainfall in the upper Kaikōura ranges, and was likely exacerbated by snow melt.

"My father's been here for 70-odd years and he can't remember the Conway [River] in such a high flow," he said.

The raging Conway River surpassed its one-in-10-year flood river flow threshold by almost double on Tuesday afternoon, according to Canterbury Regional Council data, but flows have since eased.

Anderson said the farm and some neighbours sustained some damage, when the river burst its banks.

"We've had a bit of damage, unfortunately, downstream to about 20 hectares of lucerne riverbed flats," he said.

"The river sort of burst its banks and came through, and there's a lot of silt and quite a bit of fencing that needs to be repaired, and obviously fixing up all the pasture as well."

He said, fortunately, there was plenty of time to move stock off the lower river bed flats.

"It's looking like, at this stage, we've avoided any stock losses, which is important."

The family looked to a clean-up job ahead, particularly to fences and resewing the sodden paddock.

"We're all good and in good spirits at this moment," he said. "Our minds now will shift now to the clean-up stage and getting in touch with insurers."

Anderson helped neighbours clear blocked culverts, saying that likely saved a house from the river.

Unfortunately, he said the river swept through another neighbour's cabin, dragging silt in its path.