Power outage hits Kaitaia for second time

Many Kaitaia shops stayed open throughout Tuesday's power cut, but others pulled the pin.

Kaitaia suffered another lengthy power cut on Tuesday, but this time Top Energy was unable to say what caused it.

The lights went out at 9.07am, from the North Hokianga to the northern side of Whangaroa Harbour, including Kaitaia, Ahipara, Mangamuka, the Aupouri and much of the Karikari peninsulas. A Top Energy generator kept the supply running at Doubtless Bay, including Tokerau.

The outage affected about 10,000 homes and businesses, and put some cellphone sites out of action.

Top Energy used a helicopter and ground crews to inspect the 110kV line between the Kaikohe substation and Kaitaia, but was unable to locate the fault, spokeswoman Philippa White said.

Even after power was restored in Kaitaia at 2.10pm the cause remained unclear.

A second, unrelated fault meant power was not restored at Ahipara and Herekino until 6pm.

In Kaitaia, which is not unused to lengthy outages, the power cut was met with a mix of frustration and resignation. Some businesses closed, while others battled on using cash boxes instead of eftpos or electronic tills, and for a few it was business as usual, thanks to generators installed after previous blackouts.

Tuck Inn did its usual roaring trade until late morning, when the last of its cold pies had been sold and staff going home, but plumbing firm Rogers and Rogers was better prepared than most.

Craig Rogers had hard-wired a generator into the office after December's 12-hour outage when insulators on power pylons were shot out in a remote area near Matawaia, to at least keep the computers and phones going.

"It happens a couple of times a year. It's a bit frustrating - we can't afford not to be operating," he said. The generator would quickly pay for itself.

For Bushman's Hut proprietor Tyler Bamber it was a matter of waiting it out, "sitting in the dark, hoping we'd have power for dinner".

"If this happened in Auckland it would be all over the news. It seems we're forgotten about, that services drop off the further you get from Auckland or Wellington," he said.

The due completion date for Top Energy's second transmission line from Kaikohe to Kaitaia. which is expected to reduce the number of outages in Kaitaia, is not known.