Tom Walters was evacuated from a property near Matakana. He took this photo.
A pine forest blaze near Matakana is now out.
Nearby residents who were evacuated this afternoon as firefighters battled the fire have been allowed to return to their homes. Emergency services have been stood down.
Firefighters will return to the site in the morning to dampen down any remaining hot spots.
More than 70 firefighters, 17 appliances and three helicopters responded to the fire which is believed to be a burnoff that got out of control in Wright Rd.
A house was evacuated earlier in the day and police started evacuating more properties along Wright Rd and Quiet Rise about 3.40pm.
Wright Rd was closed and extra crews were called in from Warkworth.
Earlier the Fire Service said on Twitter that the blaze was "a major vegetation fire" which is "out of control in Matakana".
Strong winds are making it difficult for firefighters to attack the blaze and they are now "evacuating for their own safety", the Fire Service said.
"We have confirmation from crews on scene that fire has now jumped Wright Rd," the Fire Service said.
"One property is threatened and that home has now been evacuated."
Residents on Wright Rd and Quiet Rise were also evacuated.
Ellen Cole, who lives on Quiet Rise, said a policeman had just appeared at her door.
"We've got to go, we've got to go," she said.
The Fire Service said a third helicopter had been scrambled to the fire.
"The fire is not yet under control and continues to break away."
Helicopters were hitting it with monsoon buckets, while ground crews were establishing water supplies.
"Alarms were activated in Warkworth township to bring in additional firefighters," the Fire Service said.
As a precautionary measure, an ambulance was also called out as there were a number of beehives near where firefighters were working.
Principal rural fire officer Bryan Cartelle said services from Puhoi Fire Station to Wellsford were also called in to help.
He said an initial flyover showed the blaze was burning over half a hectare.
The Fire Service later said the fire covered 3ha and had jumped across the road and was burning down a valley.
However Cartelle told radio host Larry Williams this evening that the choppers had done well to knock the intensity out of the fire and it was just over a hectare.
He said firefighters would soon be able to move in behind the choppers to work at the fire from the ground.
Cartelle said much of the area had been logged and re-vegetation programmes were in place, which had given the fire fuel to burn.
The Auckland Command Unit had arrived at the scene about 3.30pm and police had helped fire crews set up cordons.
Ellen Cole earlier said she could see "a lot of smoke" from her home on Quiet Rise, down the end of Wright Rd.
"The [firefighters] have had to go to another road. It's too dangerous for them ... the wind was really whipping up badly."
Cole said there was a similar fire five years ago which started in the forest nearby.
"Somebody was shooting clay pigeons up in the Dome Valley, the fire went on for a week.
"It was terrifying," she said.
Today she was feeling "a bit shaky" after coming home and seeing the "really thick" smoke.
She has since evacuated from her house.
A staff member at the Plume Cafe in Matakana's town centre, said he had heard several fire engines drive past with their sirens blaring, but was unaware of the fire.
"It's quite unusual to hear that many sirens," he said.
Metservice meteorologist Tom Adams said the general area where the fire was was experiencing gusts between 50-60km/h this afternoon and the wind was expected to keep up until about 7pm.
However the wind shouldn't pick up any more than it already had, he said.
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