Beaches were closed, a major concert was cancelled and some holidaymakers headed home early as wild weather buffeted the region yesterday.
Heavy rain watches for the western Bay of Plenty and Coromandel had been upgraded to warnings, meanwhile, Civil Defence advised Coromandel holidaymakers to head home early to avoid possible road closures, flooding, slips and power cuts.
About 6000 of ticket holders for A Summer’s Day Live, featuring UB40, Jefferson Starship and Dragon, were advised about midday yesterday that the concert, to be staged at Trustpower Baypark, was cancelled due to safety concerns associated with the weather forecast. It was set to begin at 4.30pm.
Refunds would be processed automatically back to the card used to purchase tickets within 10 business days.
UB40 fan Ross Wickham and his family were halfway between Hamilton and Tauranga when they received the news.
“We had ponchos we bought three days ago knowing the weather wasn’t going to be great.”
Instead, he and his partner, partner’s sister and dad had driven the van back to Hamilton to crank some UB40 at home and “drown our sorrows”.
They had spent $400 for accommodation and weren’t able to get a refund because they were told they needed to cancel before the 24-hour window, and as well spent money on fuel and babysitter fees.
Charlotte Howe said she and her husband bought tickets just a few days ago from someone on Facebook Marketplace who could no longer attend.
”We were always interested in going but just hadn’t gotten around to it with a busy year and when these popped up we jumped at the chance.
“My husband and I love all three of the bands and what better way to spend a summer’s afternoon, than grooving out to the many classics they would play. But definitely looking forward to seeing UB40 the most.”
”For us, the weather plays such a big part in the experience so it was a relief to hear it had been cancelled so we can get a refund instead. Tonight we will have our own concert in the comfort of our home ... no wind or rain to dampen our fun.”
Neptune Entertainment co-founder Toby Burrows said the decision was made because it was unsafe to set up the site with the high winds impacting on-site infrastructure.
The weather had been difficult enough on Tuesday for Bay Dreams, he said, but it was nothing like how it was yesterday.
Burrows said the event season had so far been unusual with the wet weather making things difficult for site builds.
Meanwhile, Bay of Plenty accommodation providers said some people were packing up and leaving due to the weather.
Bowentown Beach Holiday Park had a lot of cancellations due to the weather, and at Welcome Bay Hot Pools and Campground, a spokeswoman said all of their campers had left.
“It is what it is, we’ve had to struggle through two years of Covid and now this in the peak of our season?”
Greg Davidson, manager and owner of Cosy Corner, said they had not experienced any weather issues and only had a bit of wind.
“We’ve had a couple pull out early and a few unsure if they want to come.
“I can understand for those in tents with kids it would be hard. But hey, that’s camping, isn’t it?”
Rosie Neame, owner of Waihi Camp and Cabins, said many of her visitors are staying on despite the weather.
“A lot of them are happy to stick around and have been here a few days already, so have done their walks and are just happy to sit tight and read a book.
“Sometimes the weather is reported and it can be a little different - we’ve gotta think positive.
“We are getting a lot of people that have been rained out wanting to stay in our cabins, so people are wanting to carry on with their holidays in the Waihī area.”
David Aflallo, general manager of Tasman Holiday Parks New Zealand, said they have been impacted by the weather with cancellations at all four-holiday parks they have in the Bay of Plenty region.
Aflallo said it’s “very, very hard” and he was “really frustrated” by this situation at the peak of their season.
“We’ve worked really hard and you’ve prepared for everyone to arrive and enjoy their holiday.
“You look outside and the weather is miserable, in the middle of summer, what the hell is going on?
“But what can you do?”
Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park manager Mark Hales said some campers have packed up and gone home.
“In saying that, there are still people coming in - we’ve had 30 come through today,” Hales said.
Hales said the weather only impacted campers at his holiday park in tents. He said there was a couple that was really getting “butted around” by the wind and they decided to move on.
“You don’t want to be packing up when it’s wet, I can see where they’re coming from,” Hales said.
Coromandel beaches were deserted and traffic backed up after Civil Defence advised holidaymakers to head home to avoid possible road closures, flooding, slips and power cuts.
Thames-Coromandel Civil Defence controller Garry Towler urged residents and holidaymakers to make plans and act early before heavy rain and increasing gale-force, north-easterly winds arrive.
“While there is still some uncertainty, five more days of north-easterly wind and rain on the Coromandel is likely to have a wide impact so we urge you to consider going to a safe, secure location, or even heading home today until the storm passes.
“The accumulation of rain by Saturday could see surface flooding, slips, road closures and power issues so it’s worth hatching a plan to ensure no one is stuck or isolated.”
Karen and Arthur Keane, of Howick, were among those departing the Coromandel in their campervan. The couple were two days into a rally and said half of those attending had decided to head home, cutting their trip short by five days.
Meanwhile, “quite rough surf” across the region forced Waihī, Bowentown, Mount Maunganui, Maketū, and Pukehīna beaches to close yesterday.
“There are a lot of currents moving sideways around, especially in the Mount through that escalated rip,” Eastern region Surf Lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said.
For anyone brave enough to risk the open beaches, Gibbons-Campbell said his advice was to check in with the lifeguards on duty.
Juicy Fest promoter Glenn Meikle said the event at Trustpower Baypark was still going ahead tomorrow.
Meikle said the wind was what to watch out for when planning events like these and the forecast was “not looking too bad”.
It was planned for in the pits at Baypark and would be a bit more sheltered from the wind, he said.
”We might get some showers, so make sure you bring your wet weather gear.”
They were fully insured if anything was to go wrong “but we want to go ahead with the event”.
”The only thing that would stop it is high winds and it’s looking pretty good.”
- Additional reporting Tamara Poi-Ngawhika, Te Rito Journalism Cadet
Mark Hohua, known as Shark, was allegedly beaten to death by fellow gang members in 2022.