Storm sinks boats, cuts power and causes surface flooding

3.30pm UPDATE

At least three boats went down in Hobson Bay and around 2000 homes were without power in South Auckland today, after heavy rain and winds lashed the country.

Another three boats had come loose from their moorings in winds of up to 40 knots, an Auckland Regional Council's maritime department spokesman told National Radio.

"We're just going to leave those (sunken boats) until after the weather abates, to clean up after the storm runs through."

He warned boat owners not to check their boats until after the bad weather.

A small yacht which went "walkabout" in stormy conditions on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour overnight drifted around the harbour for several hours before it made its way the Marine Rescue Centre on the Auckland waterfront today.

Auckland coastguard duty officer Hazel Hack said storm warnings are in force for the Hauraki Gulf and from Bream Head to Cape Colville.

The wind is already up to 58 knots off the Whangaparaoa peninsula, north of Auckland.

Lines company Vector said residents in Mangere East were without power this morning due to faults.

About 300 homes in Clevedon, south of Auckland, were also without electricity but they now have their power back on.

In Waiwera, power has been restored to about 80 per cent, leaving 150 still dealing with outages.

For the 800 residents without power in Takanini, the power pole hit by a car is expected to be restored mid-afternoon.

Vector spokesperson Sharon Williamson says crews are out throughout the network and dealing with localised, weather-related problems.

The bad weather is being caused by two deep depressions converging on New Zealand.

The effects of the first one are already being felt in terms of heavy rain and strong winds as it approaches from the south west.

The second one, consisting of the remains of Tropical Cyclone Ivy, is expected to pass just east of the North Island tomorrow.

The worst weather is expected to be offshore, but heavy rain and gales may affect eastern North Island areas for a time tomorrow.


Meanwhile, officials are meeting in Vanuatu to discuss the extent of the damage caused by Cyclone Ivy.

New Zealand's High Commissioner in Port Vila, Brian Smythe, says there are reports of houses demolished and crops ruined in a number of outlying islands.

However, he says communications have been knocked out which is making an assessment difficult.

Brian Smythe says provincial assessment teams, mounted by each province, will go around the islands and look at what has happened to public facilities, for example schools.

He says it will take a few days.

The whole of the Vanuatu archipelago has been affected by the cyclone.

In New Zealand police reported surface flooding in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast, Hastings and on State Highway 2 through the Hutt Valley.

Regional councils are monitoring rising rivers as heavy rain and gales are expected to hit many parts of New Zealand this weekend.

Horizons Regional Council, which covers the Manawatu-Wanganui region still soaked by floods that hit two weeks ago, said newly repaired riverbanks had withstood overnight rain.

"But we'll be monitoring things very closely today," Horizons resource data manager Jeff Watson told NZPA this morning.

The MetService said a deep depression over the Tasman Sea was expected to move southeast and cross Fiordland and Otago late today.

It would bring heavy rain to the north and west of both islands, with the Nelson ranges, high country from Mt Taranaki to Mt Ruapehu, and the ranges of Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne worst affected.

Up to 250mm of rain was possible, including the headwaters of the Whanganui and Rangitikei rivers, the MetService said.

The West Coast, Nelson, Marlborough, Wellington, Waikato, Waitomo Taumarunui, Taupo, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Auckland and Northland would receive dumps of heavy rain up to midnight tonight.

The tropical cyclone Ivy was to pass east of Northland and Coromandel, then the East Cape tomorrow, with a further burst of heavy rain and possibly damaging winds in those places.

On Monday, rain and gales in the east of the North Island is expected to clear, with mainly fine weather elsewhere, except for showers in the lower South Island.

- NZPA