KEY POINTS:
Wild weather buffeting Auckland has caused the closure of the Sky Tower to the public and cut power across the city.
Tonight electricity company Vector was working to restore power to more than 20,000 homes in the Auckland region.
The company said power had been cut to 15,000 homes in Auckland City, while power was out to more than 7000 homes north of the harbour bridge.
All available staff were working to restore the power but the conditions were treacherous, a company spokesman said.
He said some homes may still be without power tomorrow morning.
Winds reaching up to 150km/h brought down trees, ripped off roofs and caused damage around the city.
At 5pm Sky City decided to close the Sky Tower to public viewing as winds escalated.
A spokeswoman said the tower was closed more for comfort reasons than safety.
The tower was closed only in exceptional circumstances and was designed to sway up to a metre in extreme winds.
The stormy weather, caused by an intense low weather system, moved up the Waikato, the Coromandel Peninsula and across Auckland.
Fire Service Spokesman, Jarron Philips, says fallen trees brought down power lines from Papatoetoe to the North Shore.
Up to 40 different crews worked on weather related issues.
Fallen trees are also blocking some roads around the city.
Auckland police advised motorists to keep away from the Whitford Road area after falling trees brought down power lines on Whitford Rd between Summerfield Rd and Broomsfield Rd.
The only way through to Maraetai is along Clendon Rd.
Police and the Fire Service took hundreds of calls, mostly weather-related.
"We've responded to about 300 weather-related emergency calls since midday," Jaron Phillips, shift manager at the Fire Service's northern communications centre, told NZPA.
The calls included trees down across powerlines, roofs off homes, trees on cars, and some surface flooding.
Mr Phillips said the storm appeared to be centred on Auckland City.
"The worst hit areas are west Auckland and some suburbs of central Auckland," he said.
Inspector Gavin Macdonald, of the police northern communications centre, said they had received about 500 calls between 5pm and 6pm.
"There were trees falling down, power lines coming down, traffic lights phasing out and there were a few minor accidents on the motorway due to the wind," he said.
"Hopefully it's starting to calm down now but it's still pretty windy out there."
The MetService issued a severe weather warning for Northland and Auckland at 4.38pm.
It said that southwest gales with frequent gusts to 120km/h were expected but should ease from about 8pm.
Tomorrow is expected to be showery.
In the Western Bay of Plenty, there has been a mini tornado - then a heavy hail-storm hit.
Locals have been cleaning up after a mini tornado brought down trees this morning, including a big gum tree that crashed onto a house and car in Turret Road.
The hail storm left the Omanu Golf course completely white.
One local says he is amazed having never seen anything like it in all his years in Tauranga. He says Bayfair shopping centre had drifts of hail up against its walls.
- NEWSTALK ZB, NZHERALD STAFF, NZPA
