Northland looks set to dodge wild weather impacting the rest of the North Island on New Year's but there could be some showers.
Northland looks set to dodge wild weather impacting the rest of the North Island on New Year's but there could be some showers.
Northlanders and holidaymakers should prepare to “plan for the gaps” in bad weather in the lead up to New Year’s.
Stormy weather from midnight Sunday through to Monday has seen strong wind gusts, persistent rain, and even power cuts in parts of the region.
MetService meteorologist KatieLyons said Whangārei received about 30mm of rain, Kerikeri just over 15mm, and Kaitāia about 4mm.
There were “quite a few reports” of gusty southeasterly winds, Lyons said, with Kaitāia receiving gusts of 70km/h, Kerikeri around 60km/h, and Whangārei just shy of 80km/h.
“This afternoon , the winds and rain are easing but that doesn’t mean everything is in the clear toward the New Year,” she said.
Power went out in parts of Kerikeri around 9.20am, affecting 864 households on Inlet Rd and surrounding roads, with power restored over an hour later.
Power was cut for slightly longer at another 237 households in streets at the end of Inlet Rd, including Davis Strongman Place, Edmonds Rd, Furness Rd, Hauparua Lane, Quinces Landing, and Wharau Rd.
Far North lines company Top Energy said the cause was tree contact on the Inlet Rd feeder.
There will be a public fireworks display launched at midnight from a barge moored in the channel between Paihia and Russell.
Yet another outage in Mangōnui left 60 households without power for around eight hours.
That outage was caused by vehicle impact on the Oruru feeder.
Heading into New Year’s, Northland looks set to dodge the wild weather descending on the rest of the North Island.
Most of the North Island and the top of the South are now cloaked under a sea of orange weather warnings, as a low-pressure system barrels through the country, impacting holiday and festival hotspots.
Lyons said Northland would see a few showers on New Year’s Eve, along with some strong northerlies, which would ease in the afternoon.
New Year’s Day would be mainly fine, with isolated showers developing in the morning, and some westerlies which would ease in the evening.
“There will be intermittent showers, and more dry gaps for people to get out and have some fun.”
However, Lyons suggested that revellers take raincoats to any outdoor celebrations “to play it safe”.
That includes the Northern Bass music festival in Kaiwaka, just outside of Mangawhai on December 30 to 31.
The festival, which started in 2011 in Haruru, has refreshed its format because of economic pressures, going from three days to a more focused two-day experience this year.
There will also be a large public fireworks display in the Bay of Islands.
The display will be launched at midnight from a barge moored in the channel between Paihia and Russell and can be seen from the skies above Paihia, Russell, Ōpua, Haruru and Waitangi.
In Kerikeri, DJ VandeBelle will bring a high-energy set of global house, dance, and electronic music to the Plough and Feather garden bar by the Kerikeri Basin from 8pm until late.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.
