Thousands left without power after wild weather in New Zealand

Flooding and landslides hit several areas after a low-pressure system moves across the country

Thousands of people in New Zealand were without power on Saturday, a day after a low-pressure system swept across the country triggering flooding and landslides.

More than 3,000 outages were recorded on Saturday after the storms lashed central regions of the country of 5.3 million people, including the capital Wellington, the utility Powerco said.

"After a very wet and windy 24 hours, the weather is on its way out," national weather forecaster MetService posted on X.

Emergency authorities warned of debris on roads, areas of surface flooding and a continued risk of landslides in Wellington.

The wild weather forced the cancellation on Friday of 200 flights in and out of Wellington. Officials in Lower Hutt, northeast of Wellington, reported flooded roads and two landslides.

In January, heavy rain triggered a landslide that killed six people at a busy campground on the country's North Island.