Boats were blown over at an Auckland marina, fallen trees blocked roads and power was out to households across the city as a fierce storm lashed the region last night.
Torrential downpours, damaging winds and marble-sized hail rolled through the upper North Island on Wednesday.
Foul weather grounded flights, stranding hundreds of passengers, and three Air New Zealand planes were struck by lightning, while the Auckland Harbour Bridge was closed due to high winds.
Motorists were earlier advised to detour via State Highway 16 and SH18 due to the closure, with MetService reporting gusts on the harbour bridge reaching 120km/h.
A commuter on the harbour bridge said hundreds of cars were still gridlocked shortly before 8.30pm.
Winds of 120km/h were tipped to pummel the Auckland region last night, as it was also being drenched by heavy rain.
Peak gusts of 144km/h were recorded at Manukau Heads.
And three Air NZ planes were struck by lightning and were being reviewed by engineers to ensure they are safe to fly.
Vector said there were outages across the network with strong gales across the region blowing trees and vegetation on to lines.
The company would not provide figures on the number of homes without power but said its staff were “working hard in challenging conditions to safely restore power to our customers”.
“Our crews are assessing damage and restoring power where possible.”
At least 36 flights into or out of Auckland were cancelled. A raft of delays have also impacted other domestic or international flights.
RNZ reported that hundreds of travellers were stranded at Auckland Airport and a plane had been sitting on the tarmac for three hours full of passengers.
An Auckland Airport spokesperson said an alert that wind was exceeding 35 knots was issued to airlines at 3.35pm and remained in place at 7.30pm.
”These alerts are made in the interests of safety operations on the ground and operational decisions are at the discretion of airlines and ground handlers.
”Some arriving and departing flights may be impacted by weather, so we ask travellers to keep an eye out for messages from airlines about the status of their flight.
”Travellers were urged to contact airlines directly for information about flight delays or cancellations.
”The safety of the airfield and the safe movement of aircraft is always our priority,” the spokesperson said.
Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said the airline had been closely monitoring the weather throughout the day to “ensure as many flights as possible have been able to get out safely.”
However, the wild conditions had impacted its operations.
”Our Auckland services were temporarily paused four times today when gusting wind conditions meant it was not safe to operate at Auckland Airport,” Marren said.
“Three of our regional aircraft experienced lightning strikes earlier today and have been inspected by our engineering teams and are safe to return to service.”
Thirty-four of its regional services and six domestic jet services had been cancelled.
Air New Zealand was “working round the clock” to rebook impacted customers.
And in Waikato, thousands of properties were without power.
WEL Networks said power was out at more than 17,500 properties, with 27 separate outages across the district. The outage were expected to last for up to five hours for some of the affected homes.
The areas impacted include Raglan, Whatawhata, Hillcrest, Chartwell, Rototuna, Huntington, Puketaha and Gordonton.
There were also power outages being reported tonight in Wellington.
Auckland Emergency Management was warning Aucklanders to plan ahead for the impacts of high winds and possible power outages last night.
“More wind is still to come,” AEM acting general manager Adam Maggs said.
“Messy weather systems like these are hard to predict and we still expect the effects of these gusty winds to be felt across the region overnight.”
People were being urged to stay off the roads, secure loose objects around the home and treat any downed power lines as live.
For those who did have to travel, Maggs urged caution.
“Strong winds can shift branches, signs and other items around very easily, so please take care of yourselves and each other if you are travelling home or heading out this evening. Take a moment to plan your journey before you go, drive to the conditions, watch your speed and avoid unnecessary trips if you can.”
Vector said power outages are affecting part of the city’s network. The outages were predominantly affecting the west coast and north-western parts of Auckland.
“Strong wind gusts are forecast into the evening, which could cause branches and trees to fall on power lines,” Vector said.
“Our crews will be stood down, if it becomes unsafe for them to work in the weather conditions. They will resume as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Snow was also forecast to fall on the Desert Road in the central North Island from 4pm Wednesday.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said exposed areas of Auckland had seen wind gusts up to 124km/h yesterday morning.
“It’s been a very active morning, and that is set to continue for the rest of the afternoon and evening,” Makgabutlane said.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said Aucklanders did not need to head home early “at this stage” but recommended only “essential travel”.
MetService has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a Strong Wind Warning (orange) for Auckland, including Aotea Great Barrier, for this afternoon, evening, and into the early hours of Thursday morning.
— Mayor Wayne Brown (@MayorWayneBrown) May 29, 2024
Maggs said it was important for Aucklanders to keep a close eye on any updates to the weather forecast and plan travel “very carefully”.
Maggs said commuters should keep be alert to changes in the roading network, public transport and any potential harbour bridge closures.
“If you are out, drive to the conditions – watch your speed and if you don’t need to be on the roads this afternoon or evening, you can help avoid any pressure on transport networks by staying in or delaying your trip.
“High winds can bring trees down and affect power services, so if you’re in an area prone to power outages, now is a good time to make sure you have a plan in place to do without power for a short period of time.”
A strong wind watch was in place for Northland south of Kaikohe, Coromandel Peninsula and the Kaimai Range, and Waikato north of Kawhia Harbour, Te Awamutu and Matamata. MetService warned winds may reach severe gales in exposed areas.
The weather also made its impact on the Coromandel.
SH25 PIPIROA - FALLEN POWER LINES - 4:30PM
— NZ Transport Agency - Waikato & Bay of Plenty (@nztawbop) May 29, 2024
Fallen power lines on #SH25 Pipiroa (by Abbot Rd), south of Thames, closing the road & detouring traffic. Westbound detour: Left onto Bush Rd, right onto SH2, right onto Pipiroa Rd, & left back onto SH25. Eastbound: Reverse detour. ^CO pic.twitter.com/4pZzIvPRgg
Downed power lines led to the partial closure of SH25 south of Thames, near Pipiroa, with traffic being diverted via rural roads.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi crews have been busy clearing fallen trees on SH23, SH31, SH37, SH39 and on SH1 at Karāpiro.
It said road users should be aware that there is a risk of further fallen trees and overnight roads may have to close as it will not be safe for NZTA crews to clear trees in the dark.
Earlier on Wednesday large pieces of hail blanketed Auckland streets, setting off car alarms and sending people running for cover. Residents compared the size of the hail to that of marbles.
Several areas lost power when trees brought down lines during the storm.
Makgabutlane said the wild weather was expected to ease this morning but some blustery conditions would linger.
“On Thursday, we’re still expecting it to be a pretty breezy day, but not as strong,” Makgabutlane said.
“However, in the South Island, that’s where we start to see winds cranking up from the northwest.”
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
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