Weather: Cyclone Tam cleanup continues in Northland with power cuts, trees down

A young gardener had to run for his life when a large redwood tree in Kerikeri fell on to his gardening sheds during high winds on Thursday.

His story was one of several near-misses during the extreme weather in Northland from Cyclone Tam, with the region still cleaning up from the high winds and heavy rain.

The teenager, who works as a gardener for Kerikeri Retirement Village, ran for his life when he heard a loud cracking from the falling redwood, situated on Far North District Council land next to the village.

The tree, estimated at 30m high, crushed the gardening shed he was in. Fortunately, he was unhurt, said village chief executive Hilary Sumpter.

The Kerikeri Retirement Village gardener was in this shed and ran for his life as the redwood tree fell on Thursday.

The village has filed a report with WorkSafe, classifying the incident as a near fatality.

“If he’d hesitated for just a few seconds, though, it could have been a completely different outcome,” Sumpter said.

Some years ago, a large branch from one of the neighbouring redwoods fell on to a vacant room in the village’s hospital wing, while another weighty branch fell on to a resident’s parked and unoccupied car.

Sumpter said the village has now had three close calls but it wants the trees removed for safety.

It has long petitioned both the Bay of Islands - Whangaroa Community Board and the Far North District Council to have the redwoods removed and replaced with natives and citrus trees.

In 2014, the community board petitioned residents, but 147 submitters, or 84%, opposed removing the trees.

The redwood tree fell on a garden shed in Kerikeri Retirement Village on Thursday, narrowly avoiding the gardener working in there. Photo / Supplied

The council later decided to have annual inspections to identify any dangerous trees to be felled.

Councillor Steve McNally said the arborist’s annual inspections failed to identify that the tree that has fallen was rotten inside and had a small root ball.

McNally also wants to see the trees gone, for the safety not only of the retirement village but also for the others who walk through the area, including students on their way to school and dog walkers.

He is calling on the Kerikeri community to support, not hamper, attempts by the council to fell the trees.

Other tales of survival in flooding, accidents

The gardener’s survival tale is one of several in Northland this week, as hurricane-strength winds battered the region and more than a month’s rain fell.

In Hōreke, south of Kaitāia, emergency services had to rescue a man whose Mini stopped in floodwaters on State Highway 1, about 10am on Thursday.

The Mini trapped in floodwaters on Rangiahua Bridge, SH1 in Hōreke. Photo / Joe Marshall

Blair Campbell from Ōkaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade said the incident was dealt with by Fire and Emergency’s swift-water rescue team, who were stationed in Northland due to the bad weather.

Two experts with poles and ropes managed to wade through the thigh-high water to rescue the man, Campbell said.

In Moerewa, a tree

toppled in the high winds in the early hours of Thursday, damaging the front of a home on Plunket St.

In Ruakākā, police helped rescue a person who fell down the riverbank on Princes Rd about 5.30pm on Thursday. The person was found uninjured and given a lift home.

Extreme weather recorded in Northland

The severe weather led to several extreme weather records being set, according to MetService meteorologist Gerard Bellam.

The highest winds were recorded at Cape Rēinga on Thursday, with gusts of 156km/h – which is listed as hurricane-strength on the Beaufort Wind Scale.

Waves ran over the foreshore at Helena Bay, northeast of Whangārei central, at high tide on Thursday morning amid the high winds and rain. Photo / Denise Piper

The winds also reached 109km/h in Kaitāia, 100km/h in the Bay of Islands and 96km/h in Whangārei.

Whangārei recorded more than a month’s worth of rain on Thursday, with 102.6mm. The city normally has 96mm in April, but has recorded 234mm so far this month, Bellam said yesterday afternoon.

Power still out for some

The severe winds caused numerous power cuts across Northland, with a peak of more than 24,000 homes and businesses without electricity on Thursday.

Top Energy warned people to stay clear of fallen power lines, after receiving reports of people trying to move them, saying that was “extremely dangerous”.

If people see fallen lines in the Far North, they are advised to stay clear and contact Top Energy on 0800 867 363.

A Northpower lines worker clears a tree from a power line on Hatea Drive, Whangārei, as strong winds batter the region. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

As of 3pm yesterday, more than 1770 customers were without power in the Far North, with the company warning repairs in isolated areas could take days.

Northpower – the lines company for Whangārei and Kaipara – had a helicopter and crews from as far away as Hamilton working to repair the faults yesterday.

As of 3pm, it had 1550 customers without power. While larger faults had crews assigned, some smaller and more remote areas could still take some time to fix.

Paihia road closure, water restrictions

On Thursday, numerous roads and highways in Northland were closed by flooding or fallen trees.

Most had reopened by yesterday afternoon, but SH11 at Paihia – also known as Marsden Rd – remained closed due to coastal inundation, with high wind and waves undermining the road and the services underneath it.

The road is not expected to be stabilised until Tuesday.

Paihia's main road has been heavily damaged by the large waves and high tides. Photo / Grant McCallum

Northland MP Grant McCallum (National) said the storm damage is unacceptable, both for tourism businesses and local residents, and an urgent solution is needed to stop the ongoing closures.

Motorists are able to pass through Paihia with a small detour.

However, the Far North District Council is urging all residents and businesses in Paihia, Waitangi and Ōpua to conserve water while a water main in Paihia, exposed by the high waves, is repaired.

The council initially expected the water main to be fixed within 24 hours, but it has now found the road needs to be stabilised first.

Elsewhere, Finlayson Brook Rd is also closed by underslips that are making the road dangerous.

The Whangārei District Council was also reporting partial road closures yesterday due to flooding, on Russell Rd near Punaruku, Waiotu Block Rd and Otonga-Marua Rd.

The Kaipara District Council was also reporting road closures yesterday, at Monteith Rd, Oparakau Rd and Waimatenui East Rd, but it expected them to be open by the end of the day.

The Far North District Council reported five road closures due to flooding on Thursday night: Horeke Rd, Iwitaua Rd, Okaka Rd, Pukepoto Rd (Ōkaihau) and Waikare Rd – although they were likely to reopen as the flooding subsided.

Greenacres Drive was closed by a fallen tree.

Events on, weather eases

The weather forecast for the weekend promises the end of severe weather, according to MetService’s Gerard Bellam.

Today in Northland is expected to be cloudy with scattered rain, although there could be thunderstorms south of Whangārei before midday, he said.

Fresh northerlies will ease in the afternoon.

Tomorrow, forecasters expect isolated showers, becoming widespread across Northland into the evening, with northerly winds.

Monday is just a few showers, Bellam said.

The humidity will continue to bring warm temperatures, which will stay high during the nights.

The easing of the severe weather means events can run, such as the Waipū Easter Carnival today.

Organisers say participants should come prepared for wind, rain and sunshine, as well as bringing cash.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.