Cyclone Tam: Man forced to climb out of car window to escape floodwaters in Auckland

When Paul Davies approached Onehunga Harbour Rd in Onehunga early this morning, he thought the pool of water before him was “just a small puddle”.

It turned out to be much deeper.

The Aucklander decided to drive on – but the water was rising fast. Within moments, it overwhelmed his car.

“The water rose so high that it flooded my engine, and she died on me,” Davies told the Herald.

“It’s quite deep, at least around one metre.”

Paul Davies climbed out of his car window after becoming trapped by floodwaters on Onehunga Harbour Road, Onehunga early in the morning of April 19, 2025. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Davies said Fire and Emergency services arrived at the scene to help him, but he had managed to free himself from the floodwaters before they arrived.

“I tried the door, but I was trapped by water, so I climbed out the window to safety,” he said.

“I’m quite good for my age to be doing this.

“I’ve just never experienced anything like this before.”

Davies, who does not have car insurance, is now without a working vehicle and he has also lost equipment.

“The starter motor is absolutely stuffed now and won’t start at all,” he said. “Pretty sure it’s gone now.

Paul Davies said the water was at least a metre deep. Photo / Hayden Woodward

“I had all my tools in it, so yeah, those are all pretty gone.

“It’s just bad, everything is just flooded - again, just no warning.”

Many residents reported power cuts, flooding and shaking houses as 750 lightning strikes and up to 110mm of rain hit Auckland in just a few hours overnight.

🌦️⛈️ Weather warnings and watches Update⚡⛈️

🌧️ Heavy rain continues across parts of New Zealand!
Some areas will see downpours through Sunday, while others may not catch a break until Monday. Stay safe, stay dry, and keep an eye on the forecast at https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/612TTIFSKy

— MetService (@MetService) April 18, 2025

Fire and Emergency NZ said they received more than 170 weather-related calls across Auckland at the peak of the storm.

Asked why there was no warning before the weather system arrived, MetService meteorologist Alec Holden earlier told NZME:

“Thunderstorms are historically and notoriously difficult to forecast. In this case, the worst of it came from the fact that none of those individual thunderstorm cells were particularly notable, but it was the unfortunate incident of them coming one after another after another … to result in such high rainfall amounts.”

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