A landslip has left a major arterial road in Wellington down to one lane after heavy rain hammered the capital.
Wellington City Council said Hutt Rd, between the Onslow Rd intersection and the Ngauranga Gorge, was down to one lane northbound on Friday afternoon.
"Motorists will likely experience delays during this evening's rush hour. Contractors are on the way to clear the slip," a council spokesman said.
"A number of slips have come down on roads around Wellington city following today's heavy rain. Motorists and cyclists are urged to take extra care."
A central Wellington restaurant was also left damaged by floodwater for the second time in nine months after torrential rain battered the capital on Friday morning.
Staff at Higher Taste Hare Krishna were left frantically mopping-up in time for the lunchtime rush after water seeped through the walls and flooded the dining area and kitchen.
Jagdish Prasad, a trustee from the Wellington branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness who runs the not-for-profit vegetarian eatery, said it would have to remain closed due to water damage.
"We are going to have to rip-up the wet carpets and replace them, I don't know what it is going to cost.
"We were trying to get the kitchen cleaned up in time for lunch. Fridays are our busiest day. We serve 200 to 300 people every Friday, so this is very bad for us."
Wellington City Council had been notified of the problem and Citycare workers were deployed on Friday afternoon to put down sandbags.
In July 2018, the premises was closed for a week after heavy rain smashed a window, leading to flood damage.
The deluge began at around 6.30am and caused treacherous conditions on Wellington's roads.
Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said they had received "multiple calls" of surface flooding from across the city and urged motorists and pedestrians to take care.
"Several callers have reported that manhole covers have become dislodged on central-city roads – presenting a significant hazard to motorists and pedestrians."
A resident of Onslow Rd, Khandallah reported the road being a "river full of rocks" with drains "spouting like geysers".
Metservice meteorologist Tui McInnes said a weather station in Kelburn recorded 17.2mm of rainfall in the space of an hour between 8am and 9am.
"It was wonderfully and courteously timed so it was perfectly in line with the commuter rush."
A cold front brought southerly winds up through Wellington, McInnes said.
It had caused a front of rain to move into Wellington between 7.15 and 7.30, McInnes said.
"Which is why we had such a sudden onset of rainfall, pretty stereotypical for weather here in Wellington actually."
The rainfall and its speed had made it a "quite a decent burst of rainfall" after a dry January and February.
MacLean said reports of affected areas included Wellington's CBD and Thorndon.
Council had also received reports of minor flooding in the pedestrian subway at Wellington Railway Station, he said.
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