Weather mayhem cuts power in Bay of Plenty

Emergency services have been kept busy and hundreds of properties have been without power tonight as the heavy rain and high winds settle in.

More than 900 homes across Ohauiti, Papamoa, Pyes Pa, Hairini, Matapihi and Te Puke were without power for some time tonight.

Near Te Puke, a man and his 18-month-old daughter were driving along Rangiuru Rd when a tree began to fall and caught a power line.

Senior Constable Bruce Gordon said the driver skidded into the tree and was trapped for about 45 minutes.

The man and his daughter were uninjured and stayed in the vehicle until the power situation could be assessed, Gordon said.

"This is the best case scenario, it could have been so, so much worse. It could have been two dead very easily," Gordon said.

Arthur Butlin's neighbour was the driver of the ute.

Butlin was finishing off his working day on the farm when he got a phone call from his trapped neighbour.

"He called to say the tree had fallen and the two of them were okay.

"I just said stay in there, It's powerlines, you just don't know."

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said fire brigades across the region were being kept very busy.

He said there had been a large number of calls from the top half of the North Island for weather-related incidents.

"There have been trees down, power lines down, flooding callouts, motor vehicle accidents, roofs lifting and objects that have not been secured," the spokesman said.