Heavy rain in Northland leads to flooding, power cuts

Diggers Valley Rd in Herekino was completely underwater this morning. The picture was taken at 8am and the water had not receded by 10am.

Intense bands of rain crossed Northland overnight, bringing higher river levels and power outages.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi warned people travelling on State Highway 10 at Kāeo to drive with care as low-lying areas were expected to flood with the incoming tide.

“Where possible, people are asked to delay unnecessary travel and, if they must travel, to expect the unexpected and remain alert.”

Northland Regional Council environmental data showed the Kāeo River reached peak levels at 11am at 3.39 metres, before dipping back down at 1pm.

Far North District Council said the Kāeo Library had been forced to close due to flooding as well.

Meanwhile, RNZ reported emergency housing operated by iwi organisation Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa flooded this morning.

Families had to temporarily move after up to five rooms were flooded to a depth of 300mm and personal property was damaged.

Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa chief executive Bree Davis said they were supporting the affected whānau.

Far North District Council also said Touwai in Whangaroa had received 209.5mm of rain since yesterday, and road crews were out checking the network for flooding and damage.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said other measurements of note included Ahipara weather station receiving 108mm of rain in only 12 hours.

Kaitāia received 88mm in 12 hours, while Kerikeri had 62mm.

In Herekino, the infamous Diggers Valley Rd flooded. Water had not receded by 10am.

A resident said the road was known to flood during high tide, but the level of flooding seen overnight was not as common.

Far North District Council said other roads affected by flooding and debris included Ōruru, Peria, Kenana, Omaunu and Kohumaru roads.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has not reported any weather-related closures on the state highway network.

Diggers Valley flooding made it difficult for commuters to get to the other side. Photo / Charlotte Stevens

As flooding took hold across some roads, other areas, such as Whananaki, experienced power cuts.

Power to the 185 customers affected was restored about 1pm.

Further north, Top Energy reported about 52 customers affected by a fault on the Ōpononi feeder.

As of 1.30pm, 12 customers remained without power.

Another outage near Taupō Bay left 233 customers without power, which was restored within a few hours.

However, a third outage took hold at Matauri Bay around noon, which left 389 customers without power.

Restoration was expected to be completed by about 3pm.

Warmer temperatures were felt overnight as the rain travelled through, with Whangārei barely dipping to 17.9C.

Other areas, such as Kaitāia and Cape Rēinga, sat between 15C and 18C.

Makgabutlane said the rain band would be moving off Northland through the day.

“The western parts of Northland might see a shower, but in terms of rainfall amounts or intensity, it won’t be anything like we’ve seen over the last day or so.”

She said Saturday was expected to be fairly dry, but Sunday could be wetter.

Another weather system was approaching from the west and likely to bring rain into the late afternoon or early evening.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.