Wellington man uses kayak to deliver mail in flood-stricken Thames

On a stormy holiday in Thames one Wellington man decided to make his own maverick mission.

Ciaran Fill, 21, hopped in his kayak and paddled around fetching mail from his neighbours' letter boxes and delivered it to their front door.

"They were stoked as, glad to have their mail safe and sound inside.

"The water was pretty warm. It was tropical conditions. It was wet but pretty breezy. I can't say it's the usual in town but I do go on some adventures sometimes."

Fill, who studies design at Massey University in Wellington, used to do a paper run as a kid so the idea came to him when he saw the flooding this morning.

"So I got the kayak out and delivered my mail.

"It was all right. There was enough water to get the kayak out. It was easier than walking. I was just doing the kindness and making sure everyone got their Friday mail."

Fill said he would do it again if the poor weather struck twice.

Fill's fun gesture came as floodwaters swamped sections of Auckland motorways and closed major roads with slips and toppled trees.

Kaiaua is cut off by rising floodwaters and residents in low-lying parts were told to evacuate. An evacuation centre has opened north of Thames for stranded residents and motorists.

The storm that has caused chaos for the past day has claimed its first life.

A woman is dead after a tree fell on her car in Rotorua's CBD.

Emergency services were called to Arawa St, near Amohia St, about 10.45am today.
The woman, the sole occupant of the car, died and emergency services worked to remove her from the vehicle, police said.

King tides, gales and driving rain continue to cause widespread damage across the upper North Island.

The storm was expected to make landfall near Taranaki at midday. The country will be buffeted by winds and rain for the rest of the day.