Chaos hit the Kapiti Coast after power was cut to the area this afternoon.
John Yeoman, chief executive of local electricity supplier Electra, said there was a fault with a Transpower line and the whole coast, from Paekakariki to Te Horo, was without power from about 1.40pm.
Transpower is the State-owned Enterprise which owns and operates New Zealand's national grid, which is the network of high-voltage transmission lines and substations that sends power to towns and cities nationwide.
Paraparaumu locals reported scenes of chaos in the town, which is the capital of the area.
Traffic lights were out, shops and banks had been forced to close, and trains were not working.
