NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Debbie deluge: Auckland region flooded, worse yet to come for central North Island

NZ Herald
4 Apr, 2017 09:15 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Wild weather is hitting the Whanganui region. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Some Auckland suburbs have been deluged with an entire average April rainfall in just six hours as Cyclone Debbie slams much if the North Island.

Heavy rain and storms pounded Auckland tonight. The Fire Service Northern Communications Centre says it has taken 120 weather-related calls since 5pm.

Shift manager Daniel Nicholson said calls were mostly from the east of the Auckland, Whangaparaoa and the North Shore.

Flooding at Glendowie in Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Flooding at Glendowie in Auckland. Photo / Supplied

The worst hit has been Kohimarama where a cliff collapsed on to an apartment block.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Search and rescue were called but no one was injured and residents of the block were tonight hunting for alternative accommodation.

Niwa reported Clevedon had received more than 81mm of rain between 4pm and 10pm Tuesday. The April average for Mangere is 85mm.

Auckland Civil Defence operations manager Aaron Davis said there had been "very localised flooding" across the Auckland region - "like a house flooded, a garage flooded, it's not one region, it's a whole lot of very small ones across the region".

"Looking forward, we are expecting similar downpours for the rest of the evening. We are going to continue to get these small events," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A spokeswoman said the regional civil defence coordination centre was "keeping an eye on things throughout the night".

Also Wairau Rd is partially closed due to overflooding #AucklandWeather pic.twitter.com/Zillv44TBf

— Dan (@danbakes) April 4, 2017

The damage followed a day of torrential rain across the North Island which forced the evacuation of about 200 houses in Whanganui today and the closure of key highways and schools.

But the worst of the rain is still to come. The Whanganui River level is expected to peak at 1pm Wednesday at Pipiriki and at 7pm in Whanganui City, and the heaviest rain in Auckland is due between noon and 9pm.

Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall declared a state of emergency at 5.30 last night after being advised the river was expected to peak at 17.7m above normal at Pipiriki - 2.7m higher than a flood in 2015 which inundated part of Whanganui East and the village of Putiki.

Discover more

New Zealand

North Island warned of severe downpours

02 Apr 09:26 PM
New Zealand

Brace for deluge, North Island warned

02 Apr 11:33 PM
New Zealand

Live: Big wet - school evacuated

03 Apr 11:54 PM
New Zealand

Debbie deluge - rain wreaks havoc

04 Apr 05:04 AM

"If the rainfall forecast continues as predicted, it is possible the Whanganui River stopbanks at Kowhai Park will be breached by mid-afternoon," the district council said.

McDouall said residents in "about 200, maybe 250" homes, mainly in Whanganui East and Putiki, should leave their homes by 10am today.

Officials knocked on doors in the affected areas last night to give residents time to prepare.

"That was a problem last time [in 2015], it was dark by the time people knocked on the doors and said people had to be out within a few hours," he said.

"Now we have got the luxury of time. It will never be enough time, but it will allow people to prepare."

The Ministry of Education said all schools in the Whanganui and Rangitikei districts would be closed Wednesday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is automatic whenever a state of civil emergency is declared," it said.

"We will be advising all early childhood education services in those areas to also close."

State Highway 4 is closed by slips between Raetihi and Whanganui, and McDouall said the State Highway 3 bridge at Whanganui might also close this afternoon.

"The bridges are not closed yet, but the reality is that if the flood is at the level it was in 2015, the bridges sustained some damage, so the bridges need to be checked before they are safe to cross," he said.

"So I'd say don't do any unnecessary travel after midday, just to be safe."

He said all residents leaving their homes in the affected areas should register with evacuation centres which have been set up at Whanganui Girls' College and at St Paul's Church hall in Guyton St.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Waitotara Valley Rd north of Whanganui is also closed by floodwaters, forcing the evacuation of nine students from the tiny Ngamatapouri School, which had to close for three weeks in the 2015 flood.

Elsewhere, MetService has issued heavy rain warnings for the entire North Island and the north and west of the South Island on Wednesday.

Follow the rain on our radar update every 7.5 mins at https://t.co/prKU7O2R01 ^Lisa pic.twitter.com/jj4P4vE4SQ

— MetService (@MetService) April 4, 2017

Motorists are being warned to avoid the Manawatu Gorge where there have been slips.

Gisborne District Council tweeted at 6.10pm: "Emergency sewer valves opened to prevent sewage overflowing into homes."

In Auckland, the Fire Service tweeted just after 7pm: "Just went north over harbour bridge, there's waves on that motorway."

Fire services responded to flooding in east Auckland, including St Heliers, Mt Wellington, Panmure, Beachlands and Maraetai.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Daniel Nicholson said Waiheke Island and parts of the North Shore including Takapuna, Devonport and Birkenhead were also affected.

"We've been told tomorrow's going to be worse."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Watch: Inside look after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

17 Jun 08:15 AM
New Zealand|crimeUpdated

Fit of rage: Man injures seven people in attack on partner, kids and neighbours

17 Jun 08:00 AM
New Zealand

Inside look: Damage revealed after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Watch: Inside look after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

Watch: Inside look after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

17 Jun 08:15 AM

At its peak, 20 fire engines were on-site battling the blaze.

Fit of rage: Man injures seven people in attack on partner, kids and neighbours

Fit of rage: Man injures seven people in attack on partner, kids and neighbours

17 Jun 08:00 AM
Inside look: Damage revealed after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

Inside look: Damage revealed after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

Watch: Fire at Akl supermarket under control but still burning

Watch: Fire at Akl supermarket under control but still burning

17 Jun 07:18 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP