Heavy rains throughout Canterbury caused extensive flooding on the 20th.

Creeks overflowed their banks.

Serious damge was done to roads and bridges. Some bridges were washed away.

Serious damge was done to private property.

Damage was done in most districts, the worst in those districts near Banks Peninsula.

The flooding was expected to have a serious effect on wheat growing in North Canterbury, with crops already sown washed away.

Surface water was extensive in North Canterbury.

There were serious stock losses on the peninsula.

There was flooding of an unprecedented scale in Christchurch. The city suffered its worst flooding for 35 years.

The Heathcote and Avon Rivers overflowed their banks.

Homes in low-lying parts of Christchurch were evacuated. Houses were evacuated adjacent to the Heathcote River in Spreydon, Beckenham, Woolston and Opawa.

The residents of four more houses in Richardson Terrace and Claredon Terrace had to be rescued.

Water covered Western Terrace (now Waimea Terrace).

The flood waters in Waimea Terrace were 4 ft (1.2 m) deep on the roadway.

Natural and artificial drainage channels proved inadequate to carry off water.

Christchurch streets were invaded by flood waters to a degree unprecedented in the memory of many long-service local body officers.

Suburbs that suffered the most were Spreydon, Beckenham, St Martins and Woolston, but in almost every district there were large areas of surface flooding. Papanui, Addington and Fendalton all had flooding in a greater or lesser degree.

The water rose 2 ft (90 cm) above the floor level of some of the houses.

The Avon River was running fence to fence over the adjacent road from the Avon Girls High School down.

There was surface flooding in Moorhouse Avenue, particularly near Waltham Road.

Flooding caused several breaks in telephone cables in the Riccarton, St Albans and Ferry Road districts.

The Dog Kennel Creek bridge was gone.

The worst surface flooding in the big area between the Waimakariri and Ashley Rivers was at Flaxton, where paddocks aggregating 150-200 acres were under water, mainly pastural lands.

The road to Geraldine had to be closed.

A pole in the electric power transmission line feeding the Geraldine County was washed out in the Opihi riverbed, leaving the county without power.

Lake Forsyth rose to the highest level it had reached for many years.

Water from the lake washed out railway lines in several places.

Considerable damage occurred at Little River. 4 ft water covered some areas, layer of silt 6 in deep covered main road

Several families were forced to leave their homes. At Little River itself, five families had to leave their homes.

The main road was completely blocked by water from Lake Forsyth, isolating the township of Little River.

Some areas were covered by 4 ft (1.2 m) of water.

A layer of silt 6 in (15 cm) deep covered the main road.

The approaches were washed away from a temporary bridge at Skipton.

Two spans of the state highway bridge over the Temuka River collapsed.

Saltwater Creek overflowed at Timaru, and 6 ft (1.8 m) of water flooded the area.

Properties and market gardens were inundated, and houses were threatened by flood water.

Three families were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

At Timaru Airport, Saltwater Creek, the water was 6 ft (1.8 m) deep near the adminstration block.

The southern approach of the northern Waihao River bridge was washed out.

Flood water held up traffic north and south of Waimate.

The Waimate Creek bridge approaches were washed out.

Roads were damaged by scouring.

Farm lands were damaged.

Heavy rain on the 19th caused most serious flood in Dunedin in many years.

Lindsay Creek and the Water of the Leith rose in high flood in a few hours.

Some houses in North East Valley and suburban gardens were flooded.

Tram services to Normanby were suspended.

South Dunedin experienced serious flooding.

Grosvenor Street, Kensington, was flooded with water 18 in (46 cm) deep.

There was serious flooding in many parts of the city.

The North East Valley district was the area most seriously affected.

Lindsay Creek rose in high flood and water invaded some of the houses in Miller and Selwyn Streets.

Lindsay Creek burst its banks at the quarry, swept through a corrugated iron fence and poured down the Main North Road.

There was 1 ft (30 cm) of water in the streets from Lindsay Creek.

In the Glenroy area, some residents were preparing to evacuate their premises.

The railway line was blocked by water at Otokia.

The Taieri Plains were flooded when rivers overflowed or burst their banks, inundating hundreds of acres.