Slips and flooding cause further havoc

Some Napier residents may not be able to return to their homes for months because of this slip on Breakwater Rd. Photo / APN

The East Coast took another beating from the weather yesterday, with slips and flooding causing havoc in the region - but forecasters promise the worst of the weather is over.

"I can tell you with all confidence that the worst of this bad weather has passed," MetService forecaster Steve Rawdon said.

A pressure system in the Tasman Sea will drive away the front of rain and strong winds which has battered the eastern regions this week.

"The trend is for a much improved day, it should end up being quite a reasonable weekend even in the north of the country," Mr Rawdon said.

MetService said the intense anticyclone which moved over New Zealand earlier in the week was to blame for the easterly flow that brought the damaging wind and rain over the central and southern North Island.

A new low pressure system is forecast to move from the tropics towards the central Tasman Sea, and this is expected to bring rain and strong northeasterlies to northern areas on Monday, the weather service said.

Last night, isolated flash downpours in the Northland town of Mangonui flooded the town's waterfront, with volunteer firefighters called to five separate incidents in the space of an hour.

An elderly disabled woman needed to be carried to higher ground when her pensioner flat was flooded, fire communications shift commander Jaron Philips said.

She was evacuated but last night emergency services were sand-bagging the hotel she was staying in.

Further south, Civil Defence yesterday declared a state of emergency for the Hawkes Bay region after flooding and slips closed roads and forced the evacuation of more than 100 people from 14 coastal communities.

Eighteen homes were evacuated yesterday after a huge slip on Bluff Hill, which blocked Napier's Breakwater Rd.

Residents were asked to leave as a precaution in case the land continued to subside. Some were not expecting to return home for months.

Bluff Hill resident Lyal Jackson stayed with family after a 2am visit from police. The slip starts directly beneath his balcony, which overlooks the port.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me that went down the hill with it," he said.

Meanwhile, 14 trapped residents at Kairakau Beach needed to be airlifted to Waipukurau by a rescue helicopter in two separate missions.

About 450 Hawkes Bay people were without power yesterday, with access to affected areas the major problem for Unison crews, said customer relations manager Danny Gough.

"If the weather gives us a break we can get in there. The crews are ready to go ... we just need that access," Mr Gough said.

The Hawkes Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is leading the emergency response with support from the National Crisis Management Centre, based at the Beehive in Wellington.

Central Hawkes Bay District Council spokesman Drew Broadley said yesterday a massive cleanup job lay ahead after extensive damage to coastal areas because of water, mud and silt.

Road damage would take weeks to repair but basic access could be restored to coastal settlements within three days.

- Additional reporting: NZPA