Castlecorp general manager Mike Davies said it could take days for council workers to clear all the branches and trees which had come down across Rotorua. The worst affected areas included Haupapa St, Elmbridge Pl, Wylie St, Fenton St, Hamurana Rd and Spencer Rd, all of which had large trees and/or powerlines down.
In Hamurana, powerlines came down and electricity supply was likely to be affected for most of the day. Council staff expected to be busy throughout the night and possibly into the next few days as workers cleared all the debris, Mr Davies said.
Unison customer relations manager Danny Gough said there were "pockets of power outages" in the Rotorua area but Taupo was one of the worst hit areas in the central North Island. Workers from Hawke's Bay had been sent to Taupo to help restore power.
Mr Gough could not confirm how many people were without power, saying the figures changed throughout the day as different incidents occurred.
Taupo postal deliveries were affected and police and Civil Defence were urging people to stay indoors. The worst hit areas included Rakanui Rd, Broadlands Rd and Centennial Dr, with fallen trees and minor damage to some buildings. Mr Shepherd said members of the public should avoid those areas.
Taupo Constable Barry Shepherd said flying debris and unpredictable weather were making it dangerous to go outside.
Several Taupo businesses closed due to the power outages including bakeries and daycares and soccer matches due to be held in Taupo last night were postponed until further notice.
In Rotorua, Senior Sergeant Brent Crowe said police were called to several incidents in the city with trees and powerlines blown down.
"It has not been on the same scale as Taupo though," he said.
"The message to motorists is to drive to the conditions and be aware that there can be some hazards out there like trees or powerlines which have come down or the subsidence of banks."
Rotorua weather man Brian Holden said the city had been hit by wind gusts of about 61km/h.
"That is quite strong. It is really windy out there and people should be careful."
Trees were also down around the Eastern Bay of Plenty yesterday with council contractors in Whakatane, Opotiki and Kawerau called to help clear debris from roads.
A fallen tree outside Rydges in Fenton St yesterday. Photo/Stephen Parker
There were concerns more severe weather forecast in the coming days could result in slips on the region's roads.
According to MetService the strong winds are expected to die down today but there is the possibility of heavy rain returning to the city.
Residents are being advised to have ready a battery operated radio, torch, spare batteries and a full gas bottle for a barbecue.
Motorists are being advised to check for any road closures and to expect delays and possible detours.
