Debbie's tail dumps a month's rain in 48 hours

Aroha Tito at the start of Child Rd yesterday afternoon. The bridge behind her is submerged. Photo/John Stone

She thankfully didn't do as much damage to Northland as expected, but the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Debbie dumped more than a month's worth of rain on the region in 48 hours.

Spectacularly, when the high tide coming upriver from the Kaipara Harbour merged with Debbie's parting gift coming downstream, 'Lake Tangiteroria' was formed.

Yesterday, Debbie's remains - pouring into the upper Northern Wairoa River from every hill, river or ditch in the Hikurangi and Mangakahia catchments - formed lakes and islands at Tangiteroria when it spilled over the banks and flooded low-lying farmland.

The water level fell slowly yesterday morning but stopped at about midday as the tide came up an already swollen river.

"There's nowhere for it to go," said longtime Tangiteroria Rd resident Aroha Tito.
"It drops very slowly then the tide comes up from the Kaipara and the level comes up again. It'll go eventually."

The evening before, Ms Tito's household saw the water rise over Child Rd, behind the property on Tangiteroria Rd. They awoke to "lake" scenes on both the river and Child Rd sides of the property.

Child Rd residents who are used to such events had earlier driven their cars out and parked them in the nearby marae grounds, knowing that road would become impassable, she said. While it is a high flood, it is not the worst locals have seen.

"It's not as bad as the flood in July 2014. That was the biggest I've ever seen in a lifetime," Ms Tito said.

MetService Meteorologist Lisa Murray said the low that came with Debbie dumped huge amounts of rain on parts of Northland. Kaikohe had 149.8mm in the 48 hours from
12.01am on April 4 to 12.01am yesterday. Kaikohe's April rainfall average is 130.6mm.

Whangarei received 100mm in the same period, just below its entire April monthly average of 100.4mm.

Ms Murray said April was going to be a very wet month for the whole country, with more rain expected in the next few weeks.

There will be showers in Northland for the next few days before another low is expected to bring more rainfall from Tuesday next week, right through to the weekend and into the following week.

The 2014 July 8-11 storm and heavy rain the following week caused major problems in Northland. Already saturated soils copped nearly 500mm of rain in the worst-affected areas in that event.

Towns were cut off, more than 26,000 properties lost power, trees were bowled over and two massive landslips closed State Highway 1 near Kawakawa and south of Whangarei near Brynderwyn.

Northland Regional Council rainfall figures for the 48 hours from 12.01am on April 4, to 12.01am on April 6 (from NRC):

Oakura - 152.5mm; Waipao (Draffins Rd) - 152.5mm; Wilsons Dam - 127mm; Paparoa - 116mm; Puhipuhi - 113mm; Whangarei - 100mm; Maungaturoto - 96.5mm; Waimamaku - 96mm; Cemetery Rd, Maunu - 94.5mm; Oruru - 84mm; Kerikeri - 77.5mm; Tutumoe - 71.5mm; Kai Iwi Lakes - 66.5mm; Kaeo - 62mm