Receding Flood Waters

Marlborough has got off very lightly during these past few days of very nasty weather. Some areas in the South Island have had a very bad time of it with land slips, road closures and extensive flooding.
There are dire messages from the Met Service warning of heavy snow falls to low levels along the eastern coasts of the South Island and the central areas of the North Island starting from tomorrow, Wednesday. Early warning systems are certainly appreciated by local councils and the farming community in particular.
We hardly ever get any snow settling on the Wither Hills to the south of Blenheim but, putting aside animal welfare issues, I am hoping for some of the white stuff. I have pre-warned some of my photographer friends. If we do get snow in the right places then some treks up into the hills armed with camera gear are on the agenda.
In the meantime, in downtown Blenheim, the Taylor River levels are receding rapidly. The Taylor River has wide banks which are a designated 'floodway' to retain high flood flows from the headwaters and Taylor Dam.
I dropped by the amphitheater at Riverside Park this morning and captured this image. The muddy wet steps show the levels the water reached yesterday.
All the walkways, seating and small bridges are underwater at present. But this is something that can happen two or three times and year and riverside furniture, features and bridges have been designed to withstand the occasional soaking.
I hope the weather further down south over the rest of the week will not pose too many problems for folk, particularly those living on Christchurch which continues to lurch along in recovery mode following the February 2011 earthquake. Thinking of you all.....