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Windy weekend weather: Severe winds, thunderstorms to hit NZ as winter ends

Windy weekend weather: Severe winds, thunderstorms to hit NZ as winter ends

New Zealand is in for a lashing, with severe winds set to pound the country alongside thunderstorms and snow in some places.  MetService meteorologist Mathapelo Makabulane told the Herald the weather is starting to show hints of spring in the final weekend of winter.  “We switch to quite an active and quite unsettled period ... all throughout the weekend and even into early next week.  “Some very windy conditions, a lot of showers as well and also thunderstorms.”  Auckland is no exception and is in for a blustery weekend, with the worst conditions set to strike on Sunday.  “Sunday is really the day where we’re going to see the strongest of those winds, and some thunderstorm activity as well.  “When we’ve got that combination of very strong background winds like we’ll have on Sunday, and then any thunderstorms that move on top of that, those thunderstorms can actually amplify those winds locally,” Makabulane said.  She said the amplification of the wind has the potential for damage.  New Zealand is in for a lashing, with severe winds set to pound the country. Photo / Marty Melville  “Saturday will be a really great opportunity to get prepared ahead of those strong winds. Tie down any of those loose items,” Makabulane said.  For Wellington, Sunday is looking like an “interesting day” as a southerly change is set to move through during the afternoon.  “The morning we could see some showers and then that afternoon southerly push will drop those temperatures right down. Those winds will still be there and it could be quite showery as well,” Makabulane said.  Christchurch is forecast to be the pick of the country on Saturday and looks to remain dry across the day.  “On Sunday, we see a weather system pushing in from the southwest. So they get a southwest change and that brings some showers as well and also much cooler temperatures.”  For the lower South Island, the mountains surrounding Queenstown could receive a fresh dumping of snow that may trigger new road snow warnings for the area.  “It’ll probably be a good idea for people planning to travel over the Crown Range Rd this weekend, maybe just double-checking if there is a road snow warning or what the road conditions are looking like,” Makabulane said.  MetService says New Zealand faces an active and unsettled period of weather throughout the weekend and into early next week. Image / MetService  Watches and warnings  Several watches and warnings have been issued as an active front is expected to move across the upper North Island during Sunday afternoon, followed by southwest gales.  Northland is under a strong wind watch until 9pm Sunday.  Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato north of Hamilton are under the same wind watch until midnight tomorrow.  Lewis Pass (SH7) and Milford Rd (SH94) have been issued road snowfall warnings that lift today.

Triple-fatal Ramarama crash survivor Luai Tavita’s miracle recovery - ‘I saw it all’

Triple-fatal Ramarama crash survivor Luai Tavita’s miracle recovery - ‘I saw it all’

Luai Tavita knows exactly how close he came to death - he remained fully conscious during the triple-fatal crash that killed his friends a year ago.  The 40-year-old is one of three Samoan seasonal workers who survived the horrific collision with a truck on SH1 between Bombay and Ramarama, Auckland, last August.  “I thank God for life” he told the Herald.  “I can’t forget it because I saw it happen. It’s not like I was asleep when the accident happened - I saw it all.”  Fa’aofo Uili Fa’aofo (right) and his two nephews Ta’avao Kelemete (middle) and Leauga Jerry Leauga (left) died in the Ramarama crash. Herald composite photo  Tavita was one of five workers here under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme who were being driven by a family member to Auckland from the Bay of Plenty when a truck suddenly veered towards their van.  Tavita was sitting in the front passenger’s seat and saw the accident unfold before his eyes.  The coroner is investigating the circumstances of the crash.  At the time, Police said indications suggested a tyre on the truck blew out - causing it to cross the barrier wires into northbound lanes and the van.  Tavita’s two workmates, Leauga Jerry Leauga, 37, and Ta’avao Kelemete, 32, were killed. Their uncle, 45-year-old Fa’aofo Uili Fa’aofo, was driving the van in order to spend time with them. He was also killed instantly.  The brothers were employed by EastPack Ōpōtiki and had been on their way to Auckland before a scheduled flight to Samoa that same week.  Tavita suffered serious injuries to his spinal cord and neck. He returned to Samoa after the crash and spoke at the funeral services for his friends, whose bodies were returned to their home on the big island of Savaii.  The aftermath of the deadly crash on SH1 between Bombay and Ramarama. Photo / Supplied  “People were shocked when I walked up to speak - I was still wearing a neck brace. They couldn’t believe it.”  Tavita, who had worked in New Zealand under the RSE scheme since 2022, resigned in order to recover.  He returned to his village of Asaga, Savaii, to take care of his elderly parents. His wife continued to work overseas to support the family.  “I was in Samoa for a month before I got enough strength to head out to sea again, as you do, to help feed my family.”  Earlier this year, however, he received a phone call - asking if he would consider returning to New Zealand to work in a vineyard in Blenheim.  ‘I couldn’t help the tears’  Luai Tavita, 40, is back in New Zealand working after surviving a horrific crash with a truck, that claimed the lives of three friends. Photo / Supplied  He was drawn back - to work as a team leader, supporting other RSE workers as part of his role. “It’s a blessing - as if I’m meant to come back to continue working here, because my work is not done.”  Coincidentally, a van carrying 10 Indonesian RSE workers from the same company, Eastpack, was involved in a single-vehicle crash near Maketū on Monday - almost a year to the day since last year’s triple fatality.  Six workers suffered serious injuries. Their employer has opened an internal investigation into the incident.  Asked whether he has been back to the Ramarama crash site, Tavita pauses before he responds.  “Once. On the day we travelled to Auckland from Te Puke, by bus, to catch a flight out of Auckland to Blenheim.  “As we passed that part of the road, I couldn’t help the tears in my eyes just seeing where we crashed.”  One thing he tells his colleagues daily is to truly appreciate the opportunity they have been given to work and earn a living for their families back in Samoa.  The crew members pray together - in the morning before they head out to work and after work, in the evening.  “Coming back this year... it’s like I’m more motivated.  “It’s true that my mind does go back to what ha...