Good news and really good news

Isaac Martin (Whangārei) and Daizee Bates (Kāeo) carrying Dooke the dog over a Omaunu Rd, in Kāeo, on Monday. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The good news from Monday's torrential rain across much of Northland, delivered by a wet weather front that made the first day of the school holidays a washout, caused flooding in some areas, brought down trees and cut power supplies, but did not do the sort of damage that has been seen in the past.

The really good news was that SH1 through the Mangamuka Gorge, which had just opened to traffic after eight slips closed it on July 17 last year, was not affected, although slips were reported both to both the north and south.

The MetService had given plenty of warning, issuing a heavy rain warning for most of Monday, along with a strong wind warning to end at 2am on Tuesday.

Touwai, inland from Matauri Bay, received the heaviest rainfall, with 135.5mm within 24 hours by Monday afternoon, followed by Kāeo, with 103.1mm. The Northland Age recorded a modest 14mm as of 9am on Monday, with another 6.8mm by early afternoon.

Omaunu Rd, in Kāeo, which leads from SH10 to homes on the far side of the valley, as well as Whangaroa Hospital, was completely submerged by 1pm on Monday. It was still passable for vehicles with high ground clearance but not suitable for small two-wheel drives.

Former Kāeo Chief Fire Officer Lindsay Murray, whose home overlooks the valley, joked that he had got his water view back.

Floodwaters were about halfway over SH10 just north of the town, at that stage, he added.

Meanwhile the high winds that accompanied the rain brought down trees around the region, blocking a number of roads, including Kerikeri Rd, just uphill from the Stone Store.

Vehicle access to Heritage New Zealand properties at the Kerikeri Basin and the Plough and Feather restaurant was blocked until the tree was cut up and the road cleared.

Large swells of up to three metres along the east coast, south of the Bay of Islands, turned beaches into hazard zones throughout the day, although temperatures remained mild, at around 13 to 14 degrees Celsius, falling to 7C overnight.

Top Energy recorded two weather-related power outages in the Far North, one affecting 59 homes in Paihia and west of Ōpua.

Northpower was encouraging its customers to be prepared, given that the likelihood of power outages could increase as wet and windy weather persisted. General manager network Josie Boyd was advising people to ensure they had enough drinking water to last three days, and filling buckets and baths (if you had one) for washing and flushing toilets, to have their mobile phones charged and to have torches and gas bottles ready to go.