Skies clear after Hale, convoys planned for supplies and trapped East Coast locals, fine weekend ahead as forecasters keep eye on potential for more rain next week

Fine weather is finally on the way after a sodden start to the year with two weeks of flooding, slips and road closures.

It comes as communities in the Tairāwhiti, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Northland, Manawatū-Whanganui and Marlborough face a cleanup from days of devastating rainfall brought by Cyclone Hale.

A number of roads and sections of the country’s state highways remain closed as the “last sting in the tail” of the ex-cyclone brought more rain to the Waikato, Waitomo, Coromandel and Auckland today.

Waka Kotahi NZTA has organised a convoy operation to get supplies and locals between Tokomaru Bay and Tologa Bay on the closed State Highway 35 tomorrow and Saturday.

Motorists wanting to travel south from Tokomaru Bay should meet near the Four Square on SH35 to join convoys at either 10am, midday or 2pm.

For motorists wanting to travel north from Tologa Bay, Waka Kotahi asked them to meet on the rugby grounds for convoys at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

“Please adhere to the designated times – public outside of these hours will not be able to return in either direction,” a statement from Waka Kotahi said.

The convoys will be led and followed by Downer Group vehicles.

Auckland, which has been without sunshine for large parts of recent weeks despite the summer season, can expect showers to clear over Friday morning, with cloudy spells to follow.

The MetService predicted a settled weekend with sun for most next week as Hale moved away from the country today, however it is monitoring high activity north of the country which could threaten another downpour later next week.

Ex-cyclone Hale dumped heavy rain in the Coromandel and caused surface flooding in Whangārei, as storm damage left homes without power and seaside reserves submerged in water.

Forestry slash caught up by the Mangatokerau Bridge following heavy rain and flooding. Photo / Uawa Live, Facebook

An elderly couple couldn’t reach their rural East Coast property after their front paddock was inundated by storm debris and silt on Tuesday night.

Linda Gough and her husband live next to the Mangatokerau River in Tolaga Bay, which swelled up and dumped slash logs and debris over a bridge.

On Tuesday night, when ex-tropical Cyclone Hale was at its peak, the river level rose above 10m, bursting its bank and spilling onto their property.

Gough said she saw her whole paddock get destroyed in less than an hour as rivers of debris came at her house with full force.

The Mangatokerau Bridge in Tolaga Bay is buried by forest debris. Photo / Miss-Kate Rochelle

“We don’t have anything left, it has taken everything,” she told the Herald yesterday afternoon.

Gisborne deputy mayor Josh Wharehinga told Newstalk ZB this morning the priority for them was to get all East Coast communities reconnected again following the destruction.

“The weather has eased back. Only a little bit of sprinkle and light rain. But the catchment is soaked and it’s just water, water everywhere.

“The main job is getting our communities reconnected.”

Communities on the East Coast, including those in Whareponga and Waipiro Bay, were still cut off, Wharehinga said.

Slips, slumps and flooding created hazardous driving conditions around the Tararua District. Photo / Facebook

“Just under 300 houses are with no power. Right at the start there were 2000 houses; it has come down. The immediate concern is to get people in small pockets of the coast reconnected.”

State Highway 35 was “absolutely smashed”, Wharehinga said.

“The community is resilient. It’s bittersweet, we have been through it before but it is never easy. It is quite hard but we soldier on. We have good Civil Defence teams up and down the coast. People with good hearts doing the hard mahi.”

The devastating storm triggered large slips, forcing the closure of several major roads, caused severe flooding and damaged sea swells, threatening homes and buildings on the Coromandel.

State Highway 1 at Mangamuka Gorge in Northland remains closed this afternoon, along with SH35 between Tologa Bay and Ruatoria in Gisborne, and SH56 in Opiki in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.