City council logs 400 calls about fallen trees and other damage

A tree blown across a road in Hamilton on Sunday - one of more than 400 calls the city council received about storm damage. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Hamilton City Council is on cleanup duty with some facilities remaining closed following damage from Cyclone Dovi on Sunday.

Hamilton Zoo will remain closed for at least Monday and Tuesday as staff work to remove debris and do risk assessments on damaged trees. All animals are safe and secure, but fences and paths were damaged by falling trees and branches.

Waterworld will remain closed until at least 2pm on Monday while staff do a full assessment of damage to the building. Some damage to the roof, gutters, signage and trees has been reported so far.

The Ruakiwi Rd entrance and driveway through Hamilton Lake Domain will be closed on Monday while fallen trees and other debris are removed. The Verandah cafe, playgrounds and pedestrian entrances remain open to the public.

Hamilton Gardens and Gallagher Aquatic Centre reopened as normal on Monday following early closures on Sunday due to safety concerns over fallen trees and power outages.
Council acting general manager community Helen Paki warned people to be cautious when visiting parks and open spaces during the next few days.

"This wild weather has caused a lot of damage to our trees and parks. Please take care when you are out and about and if you see any damaged or fallen trees and branches, please log them through the Antenno app or phone us on 07 838 6699."

Paki said further updates on when the facilities could open would be provided via their Facebook pages and websites.

Hamilton CDEM controller Kelvin Powell said council staff were also working through a backlog of reports of fallen trees and other damage across the city.

"We received nearly 400 reports on Sunday, with half of these relating to fallen trees and branches. Our teams worked hard to prioritise trees that were blocking roads and access to essential services. There is obviously a large amount of damage across the city and we're working to clear it all as quickly as possible."

People who had fallen trees on private property should contact their local arborists, he said.