Hailstones and heavy rain causes chaos

Torrential rain, a hail storm, lightning strikes - yesterday we had it all.
Power went out for a big part of Tauranga and people were trapped in their cars as the sky darkened and a low pressure system positioned itself over the city.
Power was cut to homes in Matua, Bellevue and Otumoetai for several hours and the intersection of Waitaha Rd and Welcome Bay Rd was closed as the water rose, trapping people in about six cars.
Metservice weather forecaster John Crouch said a large low pressure system rotated across the Western Bay as it moved down over the Mount and Tauranga Harbour and across Tauranga City about 5.30pm.
It then moved eastward and at 7.30pm was lying between Te Puke and Matata, he said.
Mr Crouch said because most of the rain missed the Tauranga Airport rain gauge he had to estimate how much fell.
It was likely to have been between 20mm and 30mm in half an hour. Hail stones were estimated at 10mm in diameter.
Twenty-five lightning strikes occurred off shore from Tauranga and down towards Te Puke in the two hours from 5.30pm to 7.30pm and there was another eight over land with three of those close to Tauranga.
Te Puke man Jason Tatare, 26, said he arrived at his father's home at Mount Maunganui and was told there was a woman trapped in her car in Welcome Bay.
He got back in his car and made his way to the closed Waitaha Rd via James Cook Drive.
He found about six cars stuck in the water and no one able to help.
Despite the water being up to his knees he felt his way to a drain sump and leaned down to clear it of debris.
Within minutes the water drained away.
Tauranga police Senior Sergeant Owen O'Brien said the road was closed for about half an hour, and some cars had to be towed away.
Mr Crouch said the lightning strikes close to the city were likely to have caused the powercuts.
The Tauranga Fire Service were called to a flooded building on Anson St in Tauranga. The flooding had been caused by a drain clogged with hail.
Some flooded properties in Resolution Dr in Welcome Bay also needed help from the Fire Service.
Mr Crouch said the bad weather was expected to clear overnight, but there could still be a few showers this morning and tonight, otherwise the rest of the weekend was expected to improve significantly.
"The Bay of Plenty is one of the better places to be this weekend," he said.