Motorists met with chaos at Kaeo as a flooded State Highway 10 north of the town became impassable to all but trucks and larger four-wheel drives yesterday. Other vehicles had to turn back from either side of the flood just north of the one lane Whangaroa Bridge.
Northland Civil Defence kept a wary eye out as an 11am high-tide was driven in by strong easterly winds but by mid-afternoon the big concern was the Kaeo River, running fast and high, and expected to become more swollen.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM), district councils and Transit New Zealand were on high alert as up to 180mm heavy rain was forecast to pelt the Far North and eastern Northland soils already waterlogged from storms in the later part of this winter.
Rain was expected to ease last night and into today but MetService's severe weather warning issued yesterday morning predicted parts of Northland could get another 120-180mm of rain in the 33 hours up until 6pm today.
In the hills near Kaeo 188mm had already fallen in the 30 hours from midnight on Friday to 6am yesterday, just short of the 196mm the area would usually receive for the entire month of August.