'Threat to life': Wellington wind warning at highest 'red' level

The wind warning in Wellington has been escalated to red, with MetService warning of "destructive" winds that would cause widespread damage.

There was a possibility of "threat to life" from falling trees and other items and could be significant disruption to transport, and power supply, the warning says.

People should stay inside or seek shelter away from trees.

The forecaster's Mount Kaukau weather station in Wellington was no longer working after wind gusts of up to 150km/h.

Roofing iron has lifted off properties in Petone in Lower Hutt, the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn and the central city, Fire and Emergency said. Crews had multiple callouts for trees falling on power lines.

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Air New Zealand has cancelled the majority of flights in and out of Wellington until at until 6pm, and Jetstar cancelled flights for the rest of Thursday.

"Current conditions are expected to continue impacting our network throughout the day, so we encourage customers travelling to check the Air New Zealand app or the arrivals and departures page on our website for the latest updates," Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren said..

Jetstar has cancelled eight flights this morning and had one flight diverted.

"Safety is our number one priority and our teams are continuing to monitor the conditions for flights later today," spokesperson said..

A passenger at Wellington Airport to was heading to Auckland with her husband to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Joanne Quinn said the birthday celebration, which had been a surprise for her husband, had taken seven to eight months to plan.

But on arriving at Wellington Airport the couple found they weren't going anywhere.

Quinn told an RNZ reporter at the scene they were unlikely to be able to get a flight today or tomorrow.

Pearl Ropeti was meant to be flying to Fiji, via Auckland, also to attend a 60th birthday.

She said she had been planning the trip for the last 6 months and now the week long trip was "down the drain."

"[The airline] is saying it doesn't look like over the next couple of days they're going to be able to book flights to fly out of Wellington."

Ropeti said they were cutting out losses and hoping to get a refund through their insurance.

Meanwhile Ashley Doyle was urgently flying to Auckland after a family member had passed away.

He said to rebook another flight to Auckland was also triple the price of the fare he had paid.

"It's really frustrating."

Cook Strait ferry crossings have also been cancelled through to at least late Friday afternoon because of the high swells.

Interislander has cancelled sailings through to 4pm on Friday between Wellington and Picton and 9pm between Picton and Wellington.

Bluebridge has cancelled all sailings through to Saturday morning.

Both ferry companies have scheduled additional sailings over the weekend to accommodate customers affected by the cancelled services.

Meanwhile South Wairarapa District Council say Cape Palliser Road has been closed due to high seas and debris.

Hutt City Council says they have also had a number of weather impacts including a slip on Wainuiomata Hill and surfacing flooding in some areas.

In Wellington City there is a downed power line on Reef Street in Island Bay in Wellington and a sheet of corrugated iron came loose on a house on The Terrace.

Wellington Electricity currently has unplanned power outages in Hutt Central and Woburn, Eastbourne Wainuiomata and Wainuiomata Coast, and Ohariu affecting just under 800 customers.

On the streets of Wellington, Kezia Bennett was navigating the high winds on Thursday morning in a wheelchair.

She told an RNZ reporter that the conditions weren't too bad to navigate in her wheelchair.

"It's worse if it's raining, wind I can deal with."

Claude Foley was also walking his dog in the high winds this morning.

He wasn't ruffled by the high winds and said his dog was loving it.

Wellington's red wind warning - What officials say to do:

The MetService warning for Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua is in place until 3am on Friday.

"We are advising people to stay indoors where possible and avoid unnecessary travel. If you need to travel this afternoon or evening, plan ahead as strong winds can make driving hazardous,"Wellington Region Emergency Management spokesperson Dan Neely said.

During strong winds, people should:

• Stay away from windows and doors. Shelter in the middle of the house preferably in an internal room such as a bathroom.
• Do not walk around outside or drive unless absolutely necessary.
• Bring pets indoors and move stock to shelter.
• Listen to your local radio station for information.
• Power cuts are possible in severe weather. Unplug small appliances which may be affected by electrical power surges. If power is lost unplug major appliances to reduce the power surge and possible damage when power is restored.
• If you, your family and/or your property are at risk, immediately contact emergency services on 111

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