Torrential rain in northern and central parts of New Zealand eased on Saturday after four days of downpours that forced hundreds of people from their homes.
The South Island city of Nelson has been the worst affected, with hundreds of homes evacuated over the week, and some rendered uninhabitable. Towns in the North Island have also been cut off, as floods submerged roads and homes.
"Things going forward look quite different from this past week," the Metservice weather forecaster said in a Twitter post. "Most of the rainfall activity is still mainly in the west, but with much lower accumulations."Earlier, it had said warnings and watch alerts were lifted after rain eased in northern and central areas.
Nelson saw more evacuations on Saturday, said Kieran McAnulty, the emergency management minister, who thanked those assisting in the rescue effort but added that the area's recovery would be a "long and difficult" process.There were about 100 new evacuationsIn the Tasman district neighbouring Nelson, a total of 508 homes had been evacuated, emergency authorities said, and the figure could grow.
"Seeing the devastation caused by the floods in New Zealand is a reminder of the herculean effort we must all make to protect our planet," the royal couple posted on Twitter.Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Sam Holmes and Clarence Fernandez