Armed with a sturdy plank of wood, Dargaville shop owner Jack Fannon was ready to repel forecast floodwaters from the Northern Wairoa River.
While other business owners filled sandbags and piled them round shop doors on Wednesday night, the long-time business man just slotted his plank across the front of his menswear shop in Victoria St.
The central business district braced itself for a deluge of water after Civil Defence warned Dargaville residents the river may burst its banks as the river peaked at high tide at 9pm on Wednesday and about 9.30am yesterday.
However, expected flood levels were not reached and no banks were breached.
Mr Fannon, who has been owned his shop for 66 years, said the warning was taken seriously after floodwaters unexpectedly washed through shops in April 1999.
His wooden plank stopped the encroaching waters back then and was in place again.
"Last time the water went through the street and into the businesses, but this kept it all out," he said.
A few doors down, Betta Electrical owners Alan and Maxine Stringer know what it's like to mop up after flooding and were quick to pile sandbags at their business doors.
In the last flood, water about 50cm deep covered part of their showroom floor.
On Tuesday, they stayed at the shop nervously eyeing the water.
They weren't the only ones - the potential disaster drew crowds to the river banks.
"There were more people on the streets at 9pm then there normally is at 9 in the morning," Mrs Stringer said.
Northland Regional Council hydrologist Dale Hansen said the warning was issued after waters measured to the west at Titoki Bridge on Wednesday were a shade under 14 metres, the highest ever recorded and a metre higher than the level reached during Cyclone Bola in 1988.
"There was also a large volume of water coming from the adjacent Wairua River system, which has coincided with the Mangakahia River peak just upstream of Tangiteroria Bridge on State Highway 14," Mr Hansen said.
Fortunately the range between low and high tides was not very large. When the tide did reach its peak, the level was about 20cm higher than expected.
"The levels were slightly elevated but didn't reach threatening levels and nowhere near flooding capability," Mr Hansen said.
The council continued to monitor the river yesterday.
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