Wild winds wreaked havoc in Rotorua yesterday with fallen trees, downed electricity lines, power cuts and flight cancellations.
Gusts of up to 80km/h led to 1400 homes losing power in Rotoma, Okere, Tumunui, Tarawera and Waikite.
Unison Networks spokesman Danny Gough said most of the power cuts had been caused by trees and debris falling on power lines.
Last night he said people should be prepared to wait for prolonged periods as crews worked as quickly as possible to fix power lines.
This morning he said most customers have since had power restored.