Emergency services are at the scene of a serious incident near Christchurch’s main stadium, where it is understood a person has been found severely injured..
Auckland weather: Power cuts, crushed cars and toppled shipping containers as wild wind wreaks havoc stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
But meteorologists are confident the worst has passed.
MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said by 8am (local time) there were gusts of up to 87km/h on the Harbour Bridge. By midday, wind speeds had eased to 55-60km/h. For every hour, you can knock off roughly 5-10km/h from the wind speed. It should get a little lighter in the late afternoon, McInnes said.
However, a strong wind watch remains in place for the country s largest city until 2pm.
A Vector spokeswoman said members of the public should avoid Clemos Lane and Jack Hinton Drive in Albany as the winds had brought down two high voltage power lines and the road was closed for safety.