KEY POINTS:
Water supplies in the Bay of Islands remained under threat last night after flood damage to the treatment plant servicing the Paihia, Haruru Falls, Waitangi and Opua areas.
Contractors were busy on repairs but the plant was not expected to be running properly until late last night.
Although
water was still available for normal use, the Far North District Council warned residents to conserve water and minimise use so storage reservoirs would not run out before damage was fixed. Water tankers were put on standby for firefighting.
Health officials are warning people not to swim in flood-affected rivers or the sea until at least Easter, next weekend. Nor should shellfish be eaten in these areas.
Northland's medical officer of health, Dr Jonathan Jarman, said sewage had contaminated parts of the flood-affected region.
People should take care in cleaning up flooded areas or when coming into contact with floodwater, he said.
Any injury that damages skin should be referred to a doctor.
During Thursday's torrential rain, several sewage pumping stations and treatment plants either malfunctioned or spilled effluent into rivers or the sea in the Bay of Islands, Whangaroa and Doubtless Bay.
Graeme MacDonald, of Northland Civil Defence, said the regional council had issued navigation warnings because of risks to boats posed by floating debris, logs, branches and sunken or drifting vessels.
He said it was too early to estimate the storm's damage bill.
Regional council figures show rainfall in parts of the region set new records. Hills north of Whangarei had 366mm, their heaviest fall over a 38-hour period in more than 100 years, beating 362mm in 1905.
In Kaeo, where shops and businesses were flooded in a torrent one resident said he'd never seen in 25 years in the town, 366mm fell in 38 hours - the highest since 1971 when 223mm was recorded.
A dialysis patient stranded by flooding in the Waikare Inlet area has been taken to Bay of Islands Hospital at Kawakawa by Far North council staff after emergency services' efforts to reach him on Thursday failed.
Power was back on in Russell and Tapeka Pt last night after more than 24 hours without electricity.
The one-way, Stone Store traffic and pedestrian bridge over the Kerikeri River is expected to stay closed indefinitely to allow for a structural assessment after it was battered by a log-jam during the storm. The historic Stone Store and the Mission House survived intact.
State highways throughout the region have all reopened except for SH11 between Opua and Kawakawa.
It is expected to reopen about noon today, mainly for local residents, but Transit NZ said it might not be fully open for two or three days.
Travellers, who are being advised not to journey unnecessarily into Northland this weekend, must access Paihia by going north from Kawakawa on SH1 before taking SH10 to Puketona and then south to Paihia.
Far North Mayor Yvonne Sharp flew over the floods with police yesterday in a check for people trapped in isolated spots. "Some houses are still cut off but there's no sign of distress," she said. "People seem to be waiting for the water to go down."
She said Prime Minister Helen Clark and Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker had offered assistance but "we'll assess things first and get back to them".
