Almost the whole east coast of the South Island was flooded. There was widespread flooding from Marlborough to Otago and also in Nelson.

Communication between Christchurch and the West Coast was stopped.

The flooding in the south of the South Island caused damage unequalled until similar events in 1945.

Heavy rains caused a sudden rise in the Thames River on the 3rd. A number of vessels were driven from their moorings and carried out to the sandspit.

A great number of stock were starved to death by the rain and wind. Further south a great number of sheep were drowned. One farmer lost nearly the whole of his stock.

Rivers further south damaged fencing.

The whole of the Wairau Plain from above Blenheim to the sea was described as one vast sheet of water.

The flood in the Awatere was the highest ever known by the oldest residents in the district.

The Taylor River came down the Pass in an immense volume.

Blenheim was submerged by flood waters, being overwhelmed in a very short time.

At the Fairhall, on the east bank, the manuka groin was washed away.

The flood in Kaituna on the 2nd was the severest known in the district.

Great destruction of property occurred. Fences were destroyed.

About 30 chains (600 m) of the bush tramway was entirely swept away.

A large number of cattle were lost.

The Omaka became swollen.

The flood at Pelorus was unprecedented in the memory of the oldest Maori settlers there.

A number of cattle and horses were drowned.

The road as far as the half way house was impassable. All the bridges were washed away.

At Renwick, the flood washed up a dangerous chasm about a chain (20 m) long, 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m) wide and 3 ft (90 cm) deep.

Taylor Pass Road was completely destroyed, and would take many hundreds of pounds to repair.

The Waihopai River was running bank-high.

The flood in Wairau on the 3rd was the highest ever known there.

The only communication was by boat.

The loss and damage was immense. Everyone in the district suffered.

There were hundreds of stock lost.

The eastern approach to Dun Mountain bridge was damaged and the western approach to the footbrige was wrecked.

The lower end of Collingwood and Bridge Streets was completely under water.

The flood waters undermined the lower portions of many houses in that vicinity. Houses in neighboorhood of the Collingwood Street bridge were filled. The Brewery was washed away. The malt-house was damaged and one corner of the building was carried away.

£40 ($4000 2008 dollars) of coals were washed away.

An old man died.

A telegraph pole was knocked down.

The approach to a bridge was washed away and the lower part of the bridge had fallen in. At the Collingwood Street bridge, the roads on both sides were under water. On Brook Street a considerable portion of the road was washed away.

The embankment at the Wairoa Bridge was broken down.

It was the heaviest flood within memory of the earliest settlers.

The Matai River rose rapidly and flooded the adjacent gardens, driving residents from their houses.

An immense quantity of fruit was destroyed by the flood waters.

The Maitai River washed away a large portion of its banks.

All the low-lying parts of Nelson were under water.

This was the third year in a row in which major flooding had occurred in Nelson at the end of January or beginning of February.

All Canterbury rivers and creeks were at high levels.

Both the rivers arising in the Alps and those arising in the Canterbury foothills were in high flood at the same time.

Many bridges were swept away from the Cust, Eyre and Ashley Rivers and the backwater of the Waimakakriri River.

Hundreds of people were evacuated.

Canterbury was the worst affected - the flooding there is still (at 2008) the highest on record.

Road communication with Christchurch was entirely cut off for most inland townships.

The flood in South Canterbury equalled the flood of February 1945.

Considerable damage was done in country districts near Christchurch.

Communication between Christchurch and other parts of the province was abruptly stopped.

More than 3000 sheep were drowned.

The whole of the agricultural district between the Waimakariri and the Ashley was flooded to an alarming extent.

Serious damage was reported to have occurred to bridges and culverts along the road between Leithfield and Kaiapoi.

It was the Ashburton River's highest discharge on record.

The Ashburton business area was inundated.

Three children were drowned at Ashley.

The large overflow from the Ashley River reached the North Branch of the Waimakariri River at Kaiapoi. The Waimakariri broke out into an old course at Halkett, with one main stream overflowing into the Avon River in Christchurch.

The Avon River rose rapidly, and by 1pm on the 4th it was already as high as the great fresh of 1865, and was still rising. By about 12am the flood had reached its highest level.

By 3pm the Avon River overflow covered the low ground on the left bank, and streets began to flood. The overflow commenced at Gloucester Street, with the flood level with the buttresses of the Governement footbridge, Lane's Mill, Montreal Street Bridge and Worcester Street Bridge. At 10pm, the river was still rising. Half of Lane's bridge was carried away, the market place was completely under water up to Armagh Street and water was pouring across the North road, the heaviest fresh being on this side of Papanui. A heavy flood came down the Harewood road. The portion of Oxford Terrace from the Claredon Hotel to Gloucester Street was in the worst condition. The floodwaters lapped the base of the Godley statue in Cathedral Square.

The banks of the Avon River below the Madras Street Bridge were overtopped, and the road either side was flooded.

A large part of Christchurch was under water. At Lanes Mill the Governement Buildings were inundated and houses in the vicinity were flooded. Water came up to the door of a house in Scottstoun.

The road was impassable at the left bank below Madras Street.

The water was running clear over the old Land Office bridge and was just on a level with the Government suspension bridge. The whole of Oxford Terrace and from Worcester Street to the market place was knee-deep in water. The whole left side of the river from Montreal Street bridge to Worcester Street was one lake as deep as a horse's belly. At the Victoria bridge, the stream was swollen clear above the arch.

Water was 2 ft (60 cm) deep in private rooms at the Magistrate's Court.

The water was up to 1.3 m deep along Fendalton Road.

The Avon River rose more than 10 ft (3.0 m) above normal.

The Waimakariri River overflowed in Fendalton and a large quantity of land was under water for miles.

The water rose more than 4 ft (1.2 m) in 15 minutes.

Water crossed the road in a stream.

Houses all round Fendalton, unless situated on high ground, were flooded.

One house was flooded with water 3 ft (90 cm) deep.

One Fendalton resident lost 300-400 sheep and some cattle.

During the afternoon, all telegraph wires north and south were carried away, except between Christchurch and Lyttleton.

Considerable damage was done to properties.

The foot bridge connecting the eastern and western portion of Worcester Street was swept away. A portion of the northern end of Colombo bridge was destroyed.

On each side of the river bank below Madras bridge, for a long way down, cottages were flooded with water.

Very large streams of water were lying at Avonside and in the neighbourhood of the Sandhills.

300 acres (1.21 km^2) of crops were totally destroyed by the flood.

The flood was the result of a freak south-easterly storm.

The Clarence River was higher than ever known before.

The flood waters washed away many acres of valuable land.

The Cust River was very full and overflowed.

Serious damage was done to grain and other crops.

The Drain bridge leading to Flaxton was swept away.

At Kaiapoi, the inundation was more serious and widespread than in previous floods. The extent of disaster was far beyond that experienced in the memorable Christmas of 1865.

Every shop and house was invaded by water, with heavy losses resulting. Enormous damage was done to private property. The greatest losses were from damage to buildings and goods at Messr's Birch and Co's stores and the at the Kaiapoi Brewery.

The water was several feet deep in many houses.

Some families had to be removed from their homes by boat. All the land surrounding the flax mill was covered with water so deep that people could only be removed by boats.

Roads were covered in water.

The girder bridge on the Rangiora Drain Road was destroyed. The swing bridge was also carried away. A portion of the Cam River bridge was damaged.

The flood made a clean sweep across the island.

The embankment at Sneyd's corner entirely disappeared.

The water was 3 ft (90 cm) deep in Charles Street, and had never been that deep on a previous occasion.

On the crown of the road in Peraki Street, the water reached a depth of 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m)

In Sneyd'stown (the Peraki Road area), the main street as well as Gristhorpe were soon covered by 5 ft (1.5 m) of water.

Stacks of timber were carried away and grain and wool were damaged in the stores.

At the Kaiapoi brewery, the water rose at least 18 in (46 cm) in half an hour, reaching the eaves of the lean to and houses.

One property loss was at least £2000 ($201,200 2008 dollars), of which £500 ($50,300 2008 dollars) would hardly represent the value of the stacks of timber carried away.

One farmer lost over 1000 sheep. Another farmer lost horses, cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry.

The amount of damage was estimated to be not far short of £10,000 ($1,006,000 2008 dollars).

At Kaikoura, houses and farm land were washed out to sea.

The Kowai River overflowed its banks, flooding White's store with water 6 in (15 cm) deep.

The whole Mandeville district was one vast sheet of water. Pastures, corn-fields, gardens, and even houses were submerged.

In most instances the water in houses was as high as the eaves of cottages.

The Orari River had a peak discharge of 44,000 cusecs (1246 cumecs).

At Rangiora, the Ashley River broke its banks.

A man and wife were rescued from their home in very exhausted state.

Two of their children were drowned.

In the neighbourhood of Rangiora, the Cust, the Eyre and the Drain combined with the Waimakariri River to flood the Rangiora swamp, converting it into a huge lake.

The Church Bush and Maori Bush were completely flooded.

The potato crops were all destroyed. A very extensive portion of grain crops were also under water.

Several inhabitants had to clear out of their houses in the face of rushing water coming in from the Ashley River. The banks had given way near the Lion hotel at a point near Baugh's asembly rooms and public house.

The bridge at the Cam mill was washed away.

The largest flood was in the Rangitata River.

The Ashley River overflowed at the bridge.

The Ashley bridge was damaged and the Saltwater Creek bridge was impassable. Culverts were also destroyed.

Cameron's general store was washed out to sea at Saltwater Creek.

The costly new bridge at Selwyn was a complete wreck.

The Selwyn River formed an enormous lake.

The flood in the Selwyn River was greater than had ever been known.

At Swyncombe, a creek behind a house washed away the garden.

Cattle and sheep were reported to be drowned in this area.

The flood in the Waimakariri River was the greatest flood known up to that time.

Throughout a large portion of the province the waters rose greatly during the night of the 4th and on the 5th.

There had never been a series of floods with comparable destructiveness.

Traffic was greatly disrupted throughout the region. Public coaches were delayed or had to turn back. On the 5th, no wheeled vehicle could get further south of Dunedin than the 17-mile post. The road between Alexandra and Cromwell was impassable until the evening of the 5th. Roads in the Dunstan district were badly cut up.

The mail was transported by a boat, which floated over many fences.

Telegraph communication from Dunedin could reach no further north than Waikouaiti.

Between Oamaru and Waikouaiti, scarely a bridge or culvert was left on the 6th.

An immense of amount of damage was done on farms and runs.

Comparatively little damage was done in the Clutha area.

At Clyde, the Manuherikia River rose 3 ft (90 cm) higher on the 5th than in the great flood of September 1866.

Three bridges were swept away or partially destroyed. The stone bridge at Abbotts Creek was completely swept away. Extensive flooding occurred at Dundas Street Bridge, where a considerable portion of the left bank was washed away.

In the Kaikorai Valley the river inundated a large portion all along its banks.

Considerable damage was done to crops along the Kaikorai Stream.

A portion of fence was entangled in a house built for the Green Island Band and was swept away.

The Mill dam yielded.

The waters at Green Island began to subside at about 1am on the 4th.

On the 6th, Rattray Street and Macclaggan Street suddenly flooded as they did on the night of the 3rd, and tons of debris was left in Rattray Street.

Considerable damage occurred in the lower reaches of the Leith. Approximately one acre of the Botanical Gardens was swept away.

The flood made a breach into the road at the north end of Valley Road bridge.

Considerable damage was done to property between North East Valley and Pelichet Bay.

The Flag Swamp bridge was totally unsafe to cross.

At Glenore, part of the bridge was swept away.

At Kakanui, the fellmongery and houses were swept away.

At Messrs Douglas, Alderson and Co's flour mill, the water rose to over the first floor of the second storey.

Dead sheep were strewn along the sea beach and the sides of the creeks at Kakanui.

The Waiareka Creek was 1 ft (30 cm) over the bridge on the 4th.

The Kakanui River was over its banks and covering the plain on either side on the 4th.

The Kakanui River was impassable.

Along the Kawarau River culverts and embankments were carried away.

In lawrence, damage was done to bridges and roads and traffic was almost stopped.

Claims on the flats were ruined.

There was disastrous flooding in the Manuherikia River on the night of the 4th.

The water was 3 ft (90 cm) higher than in the great flood of September 1866.

Cultivators on the Manuherikia Flat lost almost everything.

For six hours the river was almost covered with the wreck from farms. Some dwellings were washed away.

Crops were washed away.

Stock were swept away.

The bridge at West Taieri was greatly damaged. The embankment and viaduct on the east approach were entirely swept away for about 400 ft (122 m) and the road on the west bank was entirely swept away and encroached on the Outram township.

The river sent a stream running through the Outram township.

Many buildings were submerged. The Police Barracks and Court House disappeared when the site was completely washed away.

The Taieri River flood mark on the upstream side of the bridge was 6 ft (1.8 m) higher than any previously known flood.

The Taieri River rose 22 ft (6.7 m) above its normal level.

The Shag River rose so high that communication was cut off between both sides.

The Shag valley was inundated.

At Shag Valley Flour Mill, the mill, house and stables were swept away. Glover's store was damaged.

Eight people (three men, two women and three children) were stuck on the water wheel of the mill from 12am till 7am until they were rescued.

The new Pleasant River bridge was completely washed away.

One farmer in the Pleasant River area lost 100 sheep.

A man had a close call when his horse was washed off its feet while crossing the Shag River.

The Taieri Plain was covered with an almost unbroken sheet of water.

In some places the water was deep enough to wash away or wash over top of houses. At West Taieri, the flood was the deepest. On the night of the 4th the water rose over the tops of several farm houses there.

From the 17-mile post to Waihola, the country was covered with water 3-5 ft (90 cm-1.5 m) deep.

People along the river used boats to move their cattle.

One house on the bank of the river was washed away, and other houses were half or more hidden by water.

This flood far exceeded any the oldest resident had seen on the Taieri Plain.

A young man and his horse were drowned in West Taieri while he was going to help parents.

A man known as "German Charley" was drowned in the Silverstream.

The water in one house was so high on the 6th that boats rowed in and out of the dining room.

A great sheet of water covered the road as far as Waihola Village to more than 3 ft (90 cm) deep on the 6th.

A man drowned while crossing Worree Creek.

The Police Camp on rising ground in West Taieri was washed away. The only building that could still be seen was the lock-up, which was carried 400 yards (366 m) away.

One Taieri farmer lost 1000 sheep.

The loss of property in West Taieri alone equated to £15,000-£20,000 ($1,509,000-$2,012,000 2008 dollars).

There was serious flooding in the Tokomairiro River on the 4th. At 3am on the 4th there was no unusual rise in the Tokomairiro River, but at 6am it had risen to height believed to have been reached only once before (several years ago).

The destruction of property was more than the ordinary.

A man drowned in the Tokomariro River on the 4th while on horseback trying to save cattle.

A young man drowned while crossing a lagoon. The man and horse were engulfed by a kind of whirlpool then swept away. His body was not found, but the horse was washed up.

Low-lying lands near the river were flooded to a considerable depth.

In many places hay and oats were washed away by the force of the current.

One family isolated by water attempted to escape by canoe, but had not been seen since.

At Totara Station, the Waiareka Creek suddenly rose at about 11pm on the 3rd and a high wall of water overwhelmed and completely washed away the carpenter's house, the blacksmith's house the smithy. Two fellmongeries were swept away.

Nine people inside the two houses were drowned. In the blacksmith's house five people were killed - two males, one of them 45 years old, and two females, the wife and an 8-year-old girl - and in the carpenter's house four males were killed (as reported by the station manager).

Later in the week, evidence was found higher up the stream that a dam of trees and debris had formed between two high banks, which gave way.

Tuapeka was partly under water, with up to 2 ft (60 cm) in some houses.

The flood in the Waikouaiti area was subsiding on the 5th.

The road was only traceable by telepgraph poles. There was a gap in the road where a culvert was washed away near Hineskin.

At Cherry farm, the whole of the low lands was an immense sheet of water for 1/2 mile (800 m).

Some telegraph poles were washed down and wires were broken.

Waikouaiti Bridge was wrenched in two and one half was carried away, presumably due to the damming up of debris. There was no communication between the two sides of the river. All communication by coach was stopped.

Scores of sheep were carried down the river.

Waikouaiti Beach was strewn with timber, portions of the bridge, barrels, bales of wool and other goods.

The Shipping Agent had 45 bales of wool, a number of large bags of floor, other stored goods, a dray and harness and a building on the banks of the river washed away.

At Upper Waipori, nothing was left of the Camp buildings except the roof of the Court House lying 1/2 mile away.

The approach to the Waitanhuna bridge was washed away and it was impassable.

In Waitahuna the whole flat was covered with water, in some places more than a mile (1.6 km) wide.

Horses and cattle were floating downstream.

Crops were destroyed and haystacks were seen floating downstream.

Gardens were destroyed.

At the Bridge Hotel, the water was level with the billiard table on the morning of the 5th.

A race about 1/4 mile (400 m) from the river was turned into a creek 14 ft (4.3 m) wide and 10 ft (3.0 m) deep.

The approach to the the Woolshed Bridge was covered in 1 1/2 miles (2.4 km) of water up to 5 ft (1.5 m) deep. The approach on the Waitahuna side was washed away.

On the night of the 3rd, Whare Creek rose to an unusual height, and a 35-year-old man was drowned.