Three lost as storm descends

The storm tore up trees, lifted roofs, and brought down powerlines. Photo / Herald on Sunday

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Three people, including two children, were last night missing in a Northland forest as severe weather battered the area.

Searchers were scouring Mangamuka Forest for the man and children, aged 13 and 7, after they failed to come out of the bush late on Friday night.

Family searched for the group for some time before contacting police yesterday. Severe weather in the area was last night hampering search and rescue efforts, police said.

That same weather uprooted trees, lifted roofs and brought down powerlines throughout the Far North yesterday, although the stormy weather is expected to fizzle out today.

"Conditions would improve today for most of the country," said MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt. "Gisborne would be in line for more rain as the low moves east but could expect better weather tomorrow."

The MetService is keeping a watch on the potential for heavy rain in Hawke's Bay and severe gales in Taupo today.

Light snow showers were expected on the Desert Rd today, as well as on Lindis Pass and Porters Pass in the South Island. The worst of the high winds and heavy rain should have lashed the north earlier this morning, before moving offshore.

Forecasters said the sub-tropical storm yesterday came later than expected, but brought winds of up to 130km/h.

Far North residents bore the brunt of the damage, but most said it wasn't as bad as they had been expecting.

By early evening last night the Fire Service had responded to about a dozen weather-related calls, including downed powerlines west of Kaikohe and further south in Dome Valley.

Crews were called to secure a roof in Pukepoto Rd, Kaitaia, where a tornado ripped through homes a week ago. Firefighters had to nail down another roof in Whangarei.

In Kaeo, the Fire Service cleared fallen trees in Matauri Bay and tied down a lifting roof in Waitapu Creek.

Playing fields at Whangaroa College in Kaeo were under water, but flood-weary locals were playing down the risk of further rain.

Four Square worker Rowene Pritchard said stock had been lifted off the floor as a precaution, and locals had been stocking up on supplies. But she said most thought the storm would peter out.

Pointing to a paddock across the road, she said: "When that's under water, then we'll be worried." Two hours later the paddock was submerged.

"It's getting quite high," Pritchard said. "We've battened down the hatches, and all we can do is wait and see."

Kaikohe chief fire officer Bill Hutchinson was bracing himself for the worst overnight. "That's the worry, when it peaks at night, especially with the rivers flooding."

Weatherwatch forecaster Philip Duncan said the storm had arrived later than expected, but still brought the damaging gusts and rainfall predicted.

Cape Reinga recorded the strongest winds, with gusts up to 130km/h. It also recorded the heaviest 24-hour rainfall, with 44mm.

Whangarei received the heaviest downpour with 9mm in an hour at 6pm yesterday.