A slip earlier today blocked 309 Rd as wild weather wreaks havoc across the Coromandel Peninsula. Video / Shanx Paarman / Supplied
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Authorities are warning of further flooding and road closures when high tide hits an already drenched Coromandel Peninsula this evening.
An intense day of rain already has left widespread flooding and communities isolated.
Metservice has advised that an additional 200mm of rain can be expected to continue to fall in the next 24 hours on top of the 200mm already saturating the region.
This will bring the total rainfall so far to over 400mm in just 72 hours.
“With such a large amount of rain, high tide at 7pm this evening and again at 8am tomorrow morning will likely cause further flooding and additional road closures are likely,” the council said.
Here's a recent computer model projection for how much rain to expect on Thursday + Friday combined. Over 200mm around Coromandel and parts of Bay of Plenty. pic.twitter.com/dtWMfWcRIA
After an already intense day of rainfall, much of the Coromandel Peninsula is now cut off and communities isolated by flooding and slips after a large tree came down across the coastal highway north of Thames this afternoon.
In the latest incident to block a main road connecting communities on the western side of the peninsula, NZTA Waka Kotahi says SH 25 is closed from Te Mata Creek Rd to Waikawau Valley Rd after a tree toppled in stormy conditions.
There is no detour available.
Coromandel road closures
This morning the eastern side of the peninsula was cut off as floodwaters swamped paddocks and spilled over main roads. Large slips blocked key routes with traffic unable to travel in or out of the region’s main loop highway.
State Highway 25 remains closed at Hikuai due to flooding and to the north at Whangapoua by a slip.
A number of key routes across the peninsula, including the 309 Rd, have also been affected. Just after 2pm the Thames Coromandel District Council said that road had reopened after being blocked by an earlier slip.
A slip earlier today blocked 309 Rd as weather worsened across the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Shanx Paarman
With overnight rain leading to widespread flooding and slips, the district’s mayor warned conditions were only going to worsen throughout the day and into the weekend.
Thames-Coromandel District mayor Len Salt told Newstalk ZB that people should hunker down and not travel while conditions were deteriorating.
Coromandel and Northland are the wettest places with 100-200mm of rain recorded so far.
The worst is over for Northland but Coromandel and Bay of Plenty have much more on the way.
MetService this morning issued a heavy rain watch for Auckland, including Great Barrier Island, that will remain in place until 9am on Friday.
A strong wind watch is also in force from Auckland to Taihape until 6pm tonight, with a warning that northeasterly winds may approach gale force at times.
This morning several sailings of Auckland commuter ferries across the Waitematā Harbour were replaced by taxis or delayed due to the worsening weather conditions.
Overnight strong winds left parts of the region without power and low levels of flooding and storm damage.
Auckland Civil Defence said the high winds had battered the electricity network and posed a risk for workers fixing issues.
Weather warnings for Northland have been lifted.
Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty west of Whakatane and north of Rotorua are both under a heavy rain warnings with at least 27 hours of rain to fall from 9am.
MetService says west of Matata may see up to 240 mm of rain fall in the coming two days, with a threat of flooding and slips.
In the South Island heavy rain is expected to fall until noon tomorrow in Tasman, the Richmond, Bryant and Westland ranges, Marlborough Sounds and the Rai Valley.
