Storm surge wreaks havoc on yachts at Waiake Beach, Auckland.
Video / Greg Reed
The rain and wind are not over yet, according to forecasters, as the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Lola sweep across the country, leaving flooding and widespread damage in their wake.
Despite MetService removing all warning and watches for Auckland and Northland, Aucklanders are being warned to expect more showers throughout the day.
Inland areas of Gisborne remain under an orange heavy rain warning until 9pm tonight.
Heavy rain watches for Bay of Plenty west of Matata including Rotorua and the Coromandel Peninsula are also still in place until 8pm and until 9pm for the ranges of Hawke’s Bay south of State Highway 5.
Residents of Coromandel Town are being asked to conserve water for the coming two days.
More than 2000 properties in Northland were without power yesterday when the wind toppled powerlines. A number of streets in Whangārei CBD were also closed when the heavy rain flooded the area.
Dozens of households are entering their third day without power in the Far North, including 33 homes east of Whangaroa that lost power after the Whangaroa feeder was damaged by a tree. Electricity provider Top Power’s outage page also shows 30 customers in Kaikohe have had no electricity since yesterday due to a line fault.
In Auckland, a large part of Waiheke Island appears to have had no power since Sunday, although Vector’s outage map does not specify how many customers are affected.
Overnight in the Tauranga suburb of Tauriko, 44 properties lost power just before 3am as the wild weather moved down the country.
Another 68 properties in Paeroa also lost power last night, according to Powerco, and on the Coromandel Peninsula more than 20 properties are still in the dark, mostly in Coromandel Forest Park.
Ex-tropical cyclone Lola battered Northland on Sunday and Monday, with excess water flooding central Whangārei. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said yesterday that data from the Northland Regional Council showed that the Glenbervie area had around 127mm of rain and the other areas had between 35 and 75mm of rain
Heavy rain also made driving treacherous around the Coromandel Peninsula, with major highways becoming flooded when the rain hit the region.
Flooding on SH25 at Manaia about midday on Monday. Photo / Waka Kotahi
“We’ve had surface flooding closing various parts of State Highway 25 today and there could be more to come,” says Waka Kotahi’s journey manager for the Waikato, Liam Ryan.
“While the network has held up pretty well given that we’ve had 200mm of rain in the last 24 hours on the Pinnacles, we’re not out of the woods yet with another 100 to 200mm of rain expected overnight
“At various times [yesterday], flooding closed the state highway at Manaia, Hikuai and just north of Whitianga.”
Surface flooding at Brophy's Beach on the Coromandel. Photo / Waka Kotahi
Auckland was tipped to see 130km/h wind gusts in exposed places, with a chance the Harbour Bridge could be briefly closed.
A cruise ship had its entrance into Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour delayed by four hours due to the storm. Several ferries were also cancelled.
Storm surge wreaks havoc on yachts at Waiake Beach, Auckland. Photo / Greg Reed
There were heavy swells across Hawke’s Bay, likely to be at their worst at Haumoana, where they were expected to reach 1.9 metres overnight last night.
The rain will continue today, as MetService forecasts said to expect 110-140 millimetres of rain - with peak rates of 10-20mm/h, but 15-25mm/h this afternoon during possible thunderstorms.
Rain continues to stream down from the north and will persist into Tuesday.
On Wednesday there is a general clearance for the North Island but with the risk of afternoon showers.
Elsewhere, there is a low danger of thunderstorms embedded within showery weather throughout much of the North Island.
However, the risk is deemed moderate in Taranaki, Whanganui, northern Manawatū, Taihape, Taumarunui, Waitomo, Taupō, and the ranges of Hawke’s Bay, eastern Bay of Plenty, and Gisborne in the afternoon and early evening.
Stormy weather and high swells batter Mount Maunganui Main Beach. Photo / Alex Cairns
The widespread rainfall from the low will have subsided by Wednesday, but the North Island and upper South Island, particularly inland areas, can still anticipate showers, some of which could be thunderous and heavy. The next low-pressure system and its related fronts will sweep across the country on Thursday and Friday, bringing rain with them.
This week’s forecast calls for warm weather. Most areas will see temperatures in the upper teens to mid-20s, with today and Wednesday looking to be the warmest.
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
