Footage has emerged of trucks winding through the treacherous Awakino Gorge navigating large slips and flooding as Auckland now sits under a heavy rain watch.
Roads are flooded and heavy rain has triggered slips across Waikato highways, with motorists trapped and communities cut off.
Photos from rural commuties show paddocks turned into brown, muddy lakes.
Police say they’re aware of some vehicles “unable to move” after “significant weather” has made State Highway 3 in the Awakino Gorge impassable at places.
The road will be closed until late this afternoon.
Many settlements, including Awakino, Māhoenui, Matiere and Ōhura, are cut off.
State Highways 30, 31, 43 and 4 are also closed after huge slips, along with many smaller roads, with some at risk of washing away entirely.
An NZTA spokesperson said there are “no suitable detours” for many of the closures, including vital connecting routes SH31 and SH3, and motorists should delay their journey or expect long delays.
Mid-morning, a convoy of trucks trapped between slips on SH3 was able to file slowly through a significant landslide across the road.
Many cordons blocking motorists have been continuously extended throughout the morning as more slips come down and heavy rain falls.
Photos from Waikawau in North Taranaki, just north of the Awakino Gorge, show paddocks and rural roads completely overwhelmed with brown flood water.
In Ruapehu, the Ōhura River is nearing breach level at the railway bridge and two main roads are closed after being completely inundated by flood waters.
There are also multiple slips reported across the district, closing access roads to Ōhura.
A Ruapehu District Council spokesperson said Ōhura and Mangapapa Rds are both closed, with road closure signs in place at SH4 and the base of the Ōkahukura Saddle.
They said Hohotaka Rd is beginning to slip away and could completely wash out.
Flooding is reported on Taupō Rd, and there are slips on Kawautahi Rd, Ōkahukura Saddle and Marsack Rd.
A police spokesperson urged motorists across the Waikato district to take care in the “significant weather conditions” and limit themselves to essential travel only.
“Reducing speed, using headlights and windscreen wipers, and watching your visibility will also ensure a safe trip.”
MetService has upgraded its warnings for Waitomo, and Waikato south of Raglan and Cambridge. The orange warning came into force at 7am and is expected to last until midday.
NZTA said SH3 is now closed and police are urging motorists to not to travel through the gorge. No detour is available.
An Awakino local told the Herald the river was extremely high, reaching high tide levels while at low tide.
Mōkau School principal Maryann Symonds said she had contacted students affected by the slips and flooding.
She said some would not be able to make it to school today, but the school was remaining open to those who could.
A Mōkau cafe worker said there were “barely any cars” and thunderstorms were continuing to lash the area.
“It’s a really terrible day, the weather is awful.”
She said it was not uncommon for the gorge to close in severe weather, but the lack of confirmation on when it might reopen was “concerning”.
NZTA spokesperson Blair Cunningham said crews were onsite clearing the road “as safely and efficiently as possible”.
A heavy rain warning for the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty began at 1am today and expires at 6pm.
Between 90 and 120mm of rain is forecast across the affected areas, with peak rates of 20mm/h.
A heavy rain watch is in force for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato about and north of Raglan to Cambridge until 2pm.
Wet weather to persist across North Island
Meanwhile, MetService forecaster Alannah Burrows told the Herald the wet weather would continue across the North Island today.
“There will be some fronts pushing up north eastwards and they’re going to continue to cross the North Island,” she said.
“For a lot of areas, we’re seeing rain with heavy outbreaks at times.”
Burrows said the rain would begin to clear from the southeast in the second half of today.
“Rain with heavy outbreaks is expected to ease for places like Auckland late afternoon and early evening to showers,” she said.
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