A tree has brought down powerlines on Settlement Rd in Papakura. Photo / Vector
A tree has brought down powerlines on Settlement Rd in Papakura. Photo / Vector
Residents in some parts of Auckland have been without power for more than six hours after bad weather conditions brought down trees and powerlines early this morning.
Residents in Three Kings and Epsom were among those to contact the Herald to vent their frustrations at being without electricity for a long period once again.
Kat Wakerley said there was a lot of frustration over Auckland's "weak power grid" as their family was among those badly affected during a big storm last year.
"We were four days without power...so much for inner city living," she said.
"We lost all our fridge and freezer food last time and had to take [the] kids to friends' houses for showers and to do homework at night.
She had to travel to her daughter's house to have a shower and get ready instead.
By 1.10pm today, electricity had still to be restored, according to the Vector website.
A statement said: "Our crew has advised that unfortunately, the work will take longer than expected. The estimated time for power restoration is now between 1pm - 2pm today."
Ross Clarke said: "Another windy day in Auckland - another day with no electricity in the far flung outpost of Epsom.
"My home was without power for a week last year after a windy day and this morning it's out again."
A tree has brought down powerlines on Settlement Rd in Papakura. Photo / Vector
Vector said just before 12.30pm that it was responding to "several" outages affecting customers around Auckland as a result of today's weather conditions.
Spokeswoman Rachel Reynolds said they were monitoring the weather and had its crews ready to respond to power outages.
"We are actively monitoring the latest weather advice and our own data on network performance."
Reynolds said the main outages were in Three Kings after powerlines came down in bad weather.
As a result, Vector shut down power to that area as a safety precaution to allow its crews to work on the fault.
"[We] estimate that restoration for the remaining customers without power around Mt Albert Rd, St Andrews Road and Mt Eden Rd should be complete within the hour."
Workmen were also stationed at Settlement Rd, in Papakura, where a large tree had fallen across the main road and taken out multiple powerlines in the process.
Power in that immediate area has been shut down as a well, Reynolds said, as crews work to fix things.
"Traffic management and vegetation tree contractors have recently arrived on site and once the area has been made safe, our crews will assess the damage and estimate a restoration time."
Vector said it could not provide the exact number of households affected, but said the company's electricity operations centre was in the process of remotely redirecting power flows to as many affected households as possible.
Authorities are also warning people to stay away from any damaged electrical equipment and to treat all lines - even downed powerlines - as live and therefore dangerous, at all times.
