A yacht ended up on the rocks after breaking its moorings in Waitemata Harbour, Devonport. Video / Hauraki Gulf Weather
Power was cut to thousands of homes as torrential rain and severe wind lashed the North Island today, with calmer weather forecast for the weekend.
Firefighters rescued motorists trapped in floodwaters in Northland, while conditions were “averaging high-end storm force and gusting up to hurricane force” at the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, Hauraki Gulf Weather said.
Surface flooding closed roads throughout the Coromandel and almost 2000 homes in the area were without power until the evening.
MetService’s severe thunderstorm watch was still in place for northern parts of Auckland and Northland by evening, while a strong wind watch was in place to the south of the super city. Several lanes on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge were temporarily closed and speed limits were lowered due to the wind.
MetService North Island weather radar on November 11, 2022. Photo / MetService
Residents on the East Coast prepared for yet another battering following storms earlier this year, with streams washing out bridges and flooding roads cutting off some townships.
Waka Kotahi NZTA advised that State Highway 35 was closed from Okitu to Ruatoria intersection due to flooding.
Local civil defence co-ordinator for the East Coast, Lillian Te Hau-Ward, said she had evacuated three people in Tokomaru Bay and expected more would be evacuated as rain pushed river levels higher through the night.
Sandbags were being used to protect Tokomaru Bay’s school, which had flooded several times this year. Tuatini Marae was open for any evacuees.
“We’ve got more intensified rain coming between 10pm and 1am, so right now we’re in crisis before yet another crisis. We just can’t stop the water.”
Bad weather moving in from Hawke's Bay's coast on Friday. Photo / Paul Taylor
Te Hau-Ward said, “I’ve been pushing out [warning] messages for the past three days. We’ve known this was coming and so I’ve been telling whānau to prepare. I’ll just cross my fingers and pray.”
A low-pressure system arrived overnight, according to MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan, causing the weather chaos.
Temperatures should become warmer than average on Saturday, with Auckland expecting highs in the low 20s over the weekend.
“Napier and Hastings in particular are forecast to reach 28C on Saturday afternoon, a 10C jump on the day before. Temperatures will continue to be slightly warmer than average as we head into next week,” Corrigan said.
A fisherman braves weather on Pacific Beach, a few hundred metres south of Napier Port. Photo / Doug Laing
The Women’s Rugby World Cup final between the Black Ferns and England at Auckland’s Eden Park is likely to be played in mostly cloudy conditions, with isolated showers clearing by kick-off.
However, there is a chance that a thundery shower could pass over, so it may be a good idea to pack a raincoat, Corrigan said.
Meanwhile, the Thames District Council said on social media “pretty much the entire township” was affected by the storm. Power cuts were first reported by the council at 8.15am.
Over 200mm of rain fell along the [Coromandel Range] over the last 24 hours and it would take some time for that to flush through the catchments and drain away, Thames District Council said.
High tide was at 10.30pm tonight and there was a possibility State Highway 25 at Hikuai would remain closed throughout the night.
Many local roads in the area have flooding and/or slips blocking them and would also remain closed.
Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler said, “The entire Coromandel roading network has been impacted by this event and it will take our roading contractors a few days to clear and make safe, so plan ahead and add to travel times as it will be a slow journey through until Monday.”
A total of 2033 properties were affected by the power outages in Coromandel, 19 properties in Thames and 148 in Ngatea, according to the Powerco website.
A yacht has washed ashore at Devonport, on Auckland's North Shore, after coming free from its moorings. Photo / Hauraki Gulf Weather
Trees stuck in power lines due to wind were identified as the cause of the outage.
Head of network operations Caz Haydon said, “I’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work to get power on in these challenging conditions.”
Efforts to restore power to customers after the strong winds and heavy rain were hampered by flooding.
Businesses were disrupted by the high winds south of Auckland in Waiuku. Shards of metal blew into the carpark of OHA Cafe, forcing the business to close until the weather settled.
This band of heavy rain moved onto Northland yesterday evening and is moving south across the North Island today.
The heaviest rain will affect eastern areas from Auckland around to Hawke's Bay today until early tomorrow morning.
