New Zealand floods kill one, leave thousands without power

Energy operator PowerCo said about 10,000 households were without power in the lower North Island on Tuesday, while another electricity company, Orion, said more than 200 households were without power on Banks Peninsula outside Christchurch.

Near Wellington, Wairarapa township Lake Ferry had been cut off after the only road access to the town was washed out.

National broadcaster RNZ reported residents were forming a human chain to pass supplies across a washed-out bridge.

The town of Akaroa outside Christchurch was also isolated on Tuesday due to flooding and slips on the highway leading to it, the New Zealand Transport Agency said.

National meteorological agency MetService said winds that struck Wellington on Monday were the strongest since 2013.

Wind gusts of 193kmh were recorded in the city, MetService said.