Fire rages in scrub, pine north of Oakura Bay

Two helicopters are fighting the blaze at Punaruku, north of Oakura Bay. Photo / file

Firefighters from as far away as Hikurangi, Kamo and Russell are battling a fire in scrub and pine forest on the east coast north of Whangārei.

The alarm was raised about 12.40am today when the fire, on Russell Rd near the settlement of Punaruku, north of Oakura Bay, was reported to be the size of a football field and spreading rapidly.

Initially it was believed to be threatening a number of buildings.

As of 3pm Fire and Emergency NZ communications centre shift manager Paul Radden said the fire had grown from 1ha to about 1.5ha and was being fought by two helicopters with monsoon buckets and about 30 firefighters.

There were no reports of damage to buildings.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.

A total fire ban has been force across Northland since December 30.

The latest blaze comes just days after a fire ripped through 56ha of scrub and forced the evacuation of up to 100 homes at Ahipara and a fire on the uninhabited Three Kings Islands sparked fears for the world's rarest tree.

Only one example of the kaikōmako tree (Pennantia baylisiana) is known in the wild.