Volunteer firefighters attempt to save a 15-metre catamaran blown onto rocks at Paihia during Sunday’s wild weather. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Volunteer firefighters attempt to save a 15-metre catamaran blown onto rocks at Paihia during Sunday’s wild weather. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northlanders can breathe easy as the worst of the inclement weather that downed power lines and disrupted travel plans over the weekend is over.
A sub-tropical storm that put Northland under orange heavy rain warnings was forecast to move to the Coromandel Peninsula last night and by early evening yesterday, the worst of torrential rain and strong winds were expected to die down in Northland.
Cloudy periods and a few showers are in store for Northland today and tomorrow before rain returns on Wednesday and continues for the rest of the week.
Yesterday’s wild weather caused a slip on State Highway 1 between Wellsford and Warkworth and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised motorists to use Woodcocks Rd, West Coast Rd and SH16. This detour may add up to 40 minutes of travel time.
Northpower has had three lines crews and additional vegetation crews on standby and has been able to restore power to areas affected by outages in the early hours of yesterday morning.
However, 144 households in Ngunguru, Tūtūkākā, Wellingtons Bay, Matapouri, Helena Bay and Ruakākā were still without power at 3.30 pm yesterday. Power was expected back on late yesterday.
In the mid and Far North, 4500 households were without power as of 10am yesterday, but most were restored during the day.
Firefighters were called to a commercial premises in Russell after its roof sustained substantial damage, while Paihia was pummelled by the wild weather with waves washing debris over Marsden Rd and a catamaran breaking free of its mooring and blowing onto rocks at the northern end of the town’s main beach.
Heavy winds on Sunday afternoon ripped part of the roof off the Gables Restaurant in Russell. The Gables is New Zealand’s oldest operating restaurant, built from pit-sawn kauri in 1847.
The 15-metre vessel, called Off 2 C, struck rocks near the boat ramp in the same spot a wooden boat was smashed to kindling by Cyclone Gabrielle in February.
The vessel’s owner is believed to be overseas so two volunteer crews from the Paihia Fire Brigade, along with the catamaran’s caretaker, tried to save the vessel.
Fire chief Rex Wilson said one keel had broken off and the port hull had filled with water.
Diver Craig Johnston, of Paihia Dive, had secured the front of the vessel to a mooring block to keep it off the rocks, while firefighters in full safety gear had secured both sides of the boat to pōhutukawa trees along the beachfront.
Paihia volunteer firefighters try to save a 15-metre catamaran blown onto rocks during Sunday’s wild weather. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Two large portable pumps had been carried on board in a bid to empty out the hull but there was so much debris floating inside the hull, the pumps kept blocking.
The volunteers had completed a line rescue training session just before the alarm sounded at 1.30 pm, so they were able to put their skills in practice straight away.
With the tide on its way out after 4pm, a decision was made to leave the secured vessel to settle on the sand for a salvage attempt once the weather eased.
According to MetService, Kaikohe received 96mm of rain between midnight Saturday to 2.45pm yesterday - the highest in the region.
Broadwood, 48km southeast of Kaitāia, received 70mm of rain, McDonald Rd in Waitangi 66mm, Whangārei Airport 53mm and Kaitāia just 19mm over the same period.
The most rain in Kaikohe was 17mm between 10am and 11am yesterday. The average monthly rainfall in Kaikohe in April is 139mm.
MetService forecaster Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said rain would turn into intermittent showers in Northland last night as the rain band moved away from the region.
