(File photo)
Photo: 123RF
Hundreds of households in the lower South Island are still without electricity after severe thunderstorms damaged powerlines.
Power has been restored to many homes in Mosgiel near Dunedin, but at 10pm provider Aurora still listed around 300 customers impacted by outages.
Dozens of rural areas in Southland are also affected by blackouts.
Photos posted on social media captured lightning strikes hitting power poles.
Aurora’s website estimated a restoration time of 10.30pm Thursday.
In Southland, dozens of smaller scale outages have cut power to rural areas east of Invercargill and north of Gore.
MetService earlier issued a severe thunderstorm warning over Dunedin and Clutha which has since been lifted.
⚠️ Warning Update ⛈️
Severe Thunderstorm Warning – Clutha and Dunedin City
Severe Thunderstorm Watch – North Otago, Dunedin, Clutha
More information: https://t.co/VDYb51QBlL @OtagoCDEM @nztaos @OtagoRC @DnCityCouncil pic.twitter.com/2wpRkW3wKT
— MetService NZ (@MetService) December 25, 2025
Lightning strikes a power pole in Mosgiel on Thursday night.
Photo: Supplied