Flooding, power cuts stretch city services

Residents were evacuated from their Titirangi Beach home after a landslide took a tree through the roof during a busy afternoon yesterday for emergency services in the Auckland region.

Heavy rain that caused widespread flooding and power cuts was forecast to ease slightly today, but showers and northwesterlies were tipped to continue until the end of the week.

Fire Service spokesman Paul Radden said extra staff were called in to deal with the barrage of calls between 3pm and 7pm.

"It was very busy. Several streets flooded but we primarily concentrated on properties that were flooding in the greater Auckland region - it seemed to hit all around."

A Titirangi Beach Rd home had to be evacuated about 6pm because of landslide damage.

Flooding caused traffic-light failures and was especially bad in Te Atatu, Blockhouse Bay and West Auckland, police said.

Vector spokeswoman Sandy Hodge said about 1500 customers lost power, mainly because of fallen branches and wet vegetation.

Customers north of Auckland in Warkworth and the Hibiscus Coast were worst affected.

WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said rain and northwesterlies were predicted for the upper North Island through this week, with some fine periods.

A cold spell toward the end of the week could bring snow to the skifields.