Far North power outage: Thousands, including tourists, without power for most of day

More than 32,000 Far North homes and business were without power for most of yesterday. Photo / File

More than 32,000 Far North homes and business were without power for most of yesterday, and police are investigating whether the outage was an act of sabotage.

Electricity in the region went out about 3am and stayed off for 12 hours. Water supplies and sewerage systems were also down in many areas, including in Kerikeri.

Schools closed their doors for the day, hospitals were using backup generators, the Fire Service relied on pagers and text messages to transmit vital information, and usually bustling Bay of Island businesses were locked up.

Transpower workers found bullet casings near three damaged pylons in a remote area between Maungatapere and Kaikohe and notified police, spokeswoman Rebecca Wilson said.

It was believed someone had been shooting at glass insulators, which were high on the pylons.

Kaikohe police were investigating how the towers, in a forestry block on Mountain Road, south of Kawakawa, were damaged, police said in a statement.

Officer canvassed the area, speaking to neighbours about whether they had "seen or heard something out of the ordinary".

Repair crews battled bad weather and walked through rugged terrain to inspect the towers, Wilson said.

Materials were brought in from Wellsford, more than an hour away.

Paihia School called parents to tell them to keep their children home because bus services had been halted and the lights were out, principal Jane Lindsay said.

The outage downed both landlines and cell sites which were connected to the mains.

But neither the power cut nor looming storm clouds damped the mood for many of the thousands of tourists who flocked into central Paihia after the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship docked there yesterday morning.

Focus Paihia co-ordinator Tiff Holland said hardly any shops were open when the vessel arrived.

"I can see tenders going in and out from the ship but there' s nothing open. Goodness knows what they're going to do."

A single coffee cart hooked up to a generator drew a queue of at least 50 people waiting for their morning fix, Holland said.

"I'm standing down here waiting along with 50 others wanting a fresh coffee."

But visitors the Herald spoke to seemed effusive about the power outage.

Bill Bussell, a passenger from California in the US, spent his morning kayaking and Australian tourist Rebecca Archer shopped at the local art and craft market.

"[I] took a trip over to Russell and went through the shops that were open - cash only, but no worries. That's life - things happen," Archer said.