Strong winds blow out window at Christchurch Gondola terminal

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch
Aug 18, 2026 2:09 pm |
Fire / day / file

Strong winds blew out a window at the lower Christchurch Gondola terminal as emergency crews responded to several weather related incidents across the city.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Southern Shift Manager Lyn Crosson told chrislynchmedia.com the damage occurred at the terminal near the base of the Gondola.

A Gondola spokeswoman said “the complex had already been closed to the public due to the high wind levels, and the attraction expects to be operating as usual tomorrow once the wind levels drop later today as forecast.”

Three people were also stranded on the roof of a Ferry Road property after scaffolding was pushed into nearby power lines.

Crosson said the three people were not injured but remained on the roof until Orion crews isolated the electricity supply.

“They were not hurt, but for safety reasons, when we arrived, they stayed there until the power company had isolated the lines.”

Two trampolines were blown onto power lines in separate incidents in Aranui and Burwood.

Firefighters also responded to fallen trees in Yaldhurst and Middleton. The winds had eased slightly by 2pm.

An Orion spokeswoman said field response teams had attended outages caused by the weather.

“We were contacted by FENZ regarding the Ferry Road property and are in attendance. We also responded to the two incidents involving trampolines.”

She urged people to treat all fallen power lines as live.

“Please take care around any downed power lines, treat them as live and call our call centre on 0800 363 9898.”

Current outage information is available on the Orion website.

A police spokesperson said police were aware of the strong winds but had not been called to any related incidents.

MetService said gusts at Christchurch Airport were reaching about 70km/h, placing them near gale force.

NZ Transport Agency issued a strong wind warning for State Highway 73 between Yaldhurst and Springfield at 1.20pm.

Drivers were urged to take extra care, particularly those operating high sided vehicles and motorcycles.

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch

Chris Lynch is a journalist, videographer and content producer, broadcasting from his independent news and production company in Christchurch, New Zealand. If you have a news tip or are interested in video content, email [email protected]

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