This tree came down at Awakeri. PHOTO/Bay of Plenty Police
This tree came down at Awakeri. PHOTO/Bay of Plenty Police
3pm update
Hamurana Rd has now reopened but police have been advised that SH36 Tauranga Direct Rd between Rotorua and Tauranga is likely to be closed until at least Easter Monday.
Power has now been restored to all but "a pocket" of houses according to Unison. 1pm update
Police have tweeted that the Tauranga Direct Rd could be closed until at least Easter Monday.
It is now looking likely SH36 Tauranga Direct/Pyes Pa will remain closed until at least Monday morning, roading engineers have assessed...
In Rotorua, Unison Power has had about 1500 customers affected by weather. It hoped to have up to 800 customers around Lake Tarawera reconnected this afternoon.
11am update
Police say SH36 the Tauranga Direct Rd beween Rotorua and Tauranga will remain closed for most of the day. Roading contractors are working to clear the road and ensure road safety, they said. Meanwhile Hamurana Rd should be open in a few hours.
Bay of Plenty police say State Highway 36 the Tauranga Direct Rd between Rotorua and Tauranga is still closed by a large slip. Hamurana Rd between Unsworth Rd and State Highway 33 is also closed.
Video filmed in the central North Island and uploaded to YouTube by GlobalLeaks
5.15pm Thursday update
State Highway 36 is closed due to a slip and is likely to be closed overnight, police say.
SH36 at Te Matai is diverted towards Te Puke (Tauranga side).
A Rotorua side diversion is being arranged at Dudley/SH36 and will be manned overnight by roading staff. This traffic will have to divert back through Rotorua city to SH33 or via the Kaimais (SH5, 28, 29) to get to Tauranga.
The best alternative is SH33 via Te Puke for both directions.
A driver had a lucky escape this afternoon on State Highway 2 between Awakeri Rd and Western Drain Rd.
The man saw limbs start to come down from the roadside trees so stopped his car and got out just in the nick of time. Shortly after a large tree crashed down onto his car.
The following roads have been affected by ex Cyclone Ita:
SH36 Tauranga Direct Rd - slip across both lanes Hamurana Rd - fallen tree, won't be cleared until tomorrow Rehi Rd - falled tree, Fulton Hogan to clear Tarawera Rd - closed between numbers 106 and 110 due to a badly damaged tree. Manawahe Rd - tree down SH33 Sun Valley Curves - pot holes forming, crews at the scene
DANGEROUS: Part of the split tree on Tarawera Rd. BEN FRASER
Crews from Castlecorp, Fulton Hogan and Downer are working to clear the roads.
3.45pm update
State Highway 5 has reopened.
It was closed earlier after a tree fell at Fitzgerald Glade.
Motorists have been advised to take care on State Highway 33 as there are reportedly large pot holes on the stretch of road where the new Sun Valley curve realignment is situated.
Meanwhile, a truck driver was trapped at Te Puke after lines fell on his vehicle earlier this afternoon.
The driver has now been freed after the lines were confirmed as telephone cables.
Emergency services were called to the incident about 1.10pm at the intersection of Dunlop Rd and Donovan St.
It was initially unclear whether the lines were live power lines or telephone cables, but emergency services treated the lines as live until power authorities arrived.
Emergency services are responding to a report of a tree falling on a utility truck in Tauranga, at the intersection of 15th Ave and Fraser St.
A tree is also reported to have fallen on a shed in Hairini.
Power lines on Omanawa Rd have also been reported as down.
Hundreds of customers are without power in rural areas around Rotorua, with the region currently being battered by high winds and heavy rain.
Unison Networks customer relations manager Danny Gough said the majority of outages had been caused by trees and debris on power lines, and advised customers to prepare for prolonged periods without power.
"At this stage we're aware of outages affecting hundreds of customers, and with the weather set to continue, we expect that number to remain fluid until the weather front passes.
"Our crews are working hard to restore power to areas where access permits, but in high winds we do have to put the safety of our crews first, which may mean it could take time to repair damage and reconnect some customers."
Unison is advising customers to ensure they are prepared for power outages.
"As part of your household emergency kit, make sure you have a battery operated radio and torch, a full gas bottle for cooking on your BBQ, and if you rely on electricity for heating, we also recommend a portable gas heater."
Customers are advised to visit the website of their local Civil Defence group for more detailed information on emergency kits and action plans.
For information:
To report a fault of damage to the network, call 0800 2 UNISON
Learn more about Safety around fallen power lines - http://www.unison.co.nz/safety/fallenpowerlines
Make sure you are prepared to cope without power - http://www.unison.co.nz/safety/electricity-outages
State Highway 36 has been closed between Dudley Rd at Kaharoa and Te Matai Rd due to a slip that is blocking both lanes.
A Police North Comms spokesman said the slip was in the Mangorewa Gorge.
State Highway 5 remains closed.
Motorists are advised to check with the New Zealand Transport Agency on 0800 444 449 for road closures and diversions.
Hundreds of homes are without power. Lynmore and Kaharoa are now without power and join Oturoa and Dalbeth Rds in Ngongotaha, Hamurana, Ngakuru, Waikite Valley, Okere Falls and Mamaku.
Unison customer relations manager Danny Gough asked for people to be patient as their crews worked on restoring power.
A tree has fallen across State Highway 5 at Fitzgerald Glade. Police have set up diversions but these will add time to your journey.
One of the trees down on Military Rd near Otakiri. PHOTO/Lani Hepi
Bay of Plenty police have reported three trees have come down at Military Road just before the SH30 intersection at Otakiri. They are being cleared but road is still blocked at this stage.
Please drive carefully in the area and expect delays.
**
Heavy rain and strong winds have caused power cuts across the Rotorua region.
Power has been cut to a number of homes in mostly rural areas around Rotorua, including Oturoa and Dalbeth Rds in Ngongotaha, Hamurana, Ngakuru, Waikite Valley, Okere Falls and Mamaku.
Unison customer relations manager Danny Gough said the cuts were caused by branches and trees falling on power lines as a result of strong winds.
Mr Gough said the crews had been sent to the affected areas to fix lines and get the power running again.
He encouraged people to be contact Unison if there are experiencing powers cuts and to treat fallen power lines as live and not to touch them or go near them.
"We're working to fix the problems as soon as possible and we thank people for their patience in the meantime," he said.
The rain and winds are expected to last throughout the day for Rotorua.
MetService said a deep low, lying west of the upper North Island is forecast to move south today with burst of heavy rain predicted for the Bay of Plenty region.
The Eastern Bay of Plenty ranges are expected to have between 120mm to 140mm of rain from 10am to 10pm today and possibly through to tomorrow.
People are being advised to watch out for rapidly rising streams and rivers, surface flooding, slips and hazardous driving conditions.
