The upper North Island and parts of the South Island continue to be blasted with heavy rain and strong winds, with MetService warning the worst may be yet to come for some areas.
Police warned Northland motorists to avoid non-essential travel due to weather conditions and "significant surface flooding" on roads in the area.
Emergency services are in attendance at a slip on State Highway 11, near Lemon's Hill between Paihia and Kawakawa, that has blocked both lanes.
UPDATE 5PM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) July 25, 2022
SH25 is now closed between Coromandel and Te Rerenga for the night, following a slip. A reassessment and further updates will be provided tomorrow morning. Updates: https://t.co/wmHE7LjmK4. ^MF https://t.co/awg4MMHeJP
Surface flooding and rising tides have also severely affected several roads and bridges, including on State Highway 10, Kaeo and Oromahoe, State Highway 1 Whakapara, areas of Horeke, Moerewa and State Highway 12, Taheke.
"Low cloud is also limiting visibility on State Highway 1, Brynderwyn Hills," police said.
"A significant number of roads will continue to be affected by the combined rainfall and impending high tide, so motorists are asked to stay home if they do not need to travel."
In Coromandel, heavy rain has closed State Highway 25 between Coromandel township and Te Rerenga overnight following a slip.
Waka Kotahi said the road was expected to open at 10am tomorrow subject to the condition of the slip.
At 5.30pm, Waka Kotahi urged motorists in Hawke's Bay to take care on the roads due to surface flooding and potholes.
Meanwhile, motorists on motorways across Auckland are facing lengthy delays this evening, according to the Waka Kotahi traffic dashboard. The drive from Albany to Manukau (via SH1) is taking motorists one hour and four minutes (at 5.37pm), when the route usually takes 24 minutes when traffic is free flowing.
Also in Auckland, Half Moon Bay ferry services have been cancelled due to rough weather. The 5.15pm and 6pm services between Downtown and Half Moon Bay were cancelled, Auckland Transport posted on Twitter.
The following Half Moon Bay ferry services have been cancelled:
— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) July 25, 2022
Downtown to Half Moon Bay: 17:15
Half Moon Bay to Downtown: 18:00 pic.twitter.com/tYJOTH5zHf
Wild weather caused power outages, blocked roads, flooded rivers and closed schools as a low-pressure system descends on New Zealand from the subtropics, bringing widespread rain and snow down south.
MetService warned of 110km/h winds in Auckland and Northland and gale-force winds on the Hauraki Gulf this evening, reaching 130km/h. It also predicted heavy rainfall in Auckland and Northland to increase to 15-20mm per hour this afternoon and evening.
Waka Kotahi NZTA warned Auckland motorists that speed restrictions may be in place at the the Harbour Bridge if strong winds continued.
North of the Auckland area, a fallen tree on the Hibiscus Coast Highway closed a stretch of road near Waiwera.
Auckland Transport warned that the highway between Otanerua Rd and Weranui Rd was blocked north of Orewa due to the fallen tree.
There have been unplanned power outages across Auckland this morning affecting Waitakere, Titirangi and Newmarket suburbs. The outage forced one charging station in Newmarket to switch off briefly.
Vector said it was working to restore power to affected areas.
"Our crews have been working in torrential rain and strong winds to restore power, with more than 11,200 customers affected at some point during the day," Vector said in a statement.
"By 4.30pm we had restored power to more than 9,500. The crews are working through the night to restore as many as possible, where it is safe to do so.
"We'd like to thank them for their efforts in horrible conditions and customers for their patience, as no power on a day like today is tough.
"We'll contact affected customers directly to give them an update as soon as we have one.
"We appreciate that being without power is frustrating and want to thank all those affected for their continued patience.
"Your safety is important to us so please keep clear of any downed lines and call 111 if you see any. The best way to report an outage, or to stay updated if you have one, is to visit vector.co.nz/outages."
Cellar door manager at Westbrook Winery in Waimauku, Gary Keller, said the power outage resulted in the business having to close early and cancel bookings.
"The outage really affects every part of the business - cellar door, patio restaurant, kitchen and the winery. No phones, no refrigerator, no other comms, nothing really works without power.
SH1 AKL HARBOUR BRIDGE - 3:40PM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) July 25, 2022
All lanes are OPEN again on the #SH1 Harbour Bridge, following a northbound lane closure, due to a lose light fixture. PM peak will now be at the normal 5 by 3 lane configuration. Speed restrictions may be in place, as strong winds remain. ^MF pic.twitter.com/kzAMLureYC
HIBISCUS COAST HWY - 2:05PM
— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) July 25, 2022
Due to a fallen tree, Hibiscus Coast Hwy is now closed between Otanerua Rd and Weranui Rd in Waiwera. Follow direction of emergency services on-site or avoid the area if possible. ^MF pic.twitter.com/YL6GxrdRcf
🌧🌧🌧
— MetService (@MetService) July 25, 2022
Kerikeri Airport has pushed over 500mm of rain for this month 🤯
Their July average is around 190mm, making this their 2nd wettest July on record (since 1978).
Christchurch is another place of interest with more rain on the way they could exceed their July record 👀 pic.twitter.com/9uQHTZRIA9
"We have a small generator for emergencies which we used for essentials.
"Thankfully, Mondays are usually quiet days, so that part wasn't really much of a problem."
A Watercare spokeswoman said all five dams in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges are currently full and spilling due to the heavy rainfall.
These dams are much smaller than the dams in the Hunua Ranges, so they fill up much more quickly, the spokeswoman said.
She said Hays Creek Dam in Papakura is also spilling because the dam is currently offline while work is finished on the permanent Papakura Water Treatment Plant.
Auckland's dams are currently 94.7 per cent full, compared to the historical average of 84.3 per cent at this time of the year.
The wild weather also led to a series of road accidents during the Auckland morning commute, including a car rolling on the Southern Motorway. Speed limits were reduced on the Harbour Bridge as a precaution.
Emergency services closed Halsey St in Wynyard Quarter this morning after high winds appeared to damage panels on the outside of the Park Hyatt Hotel.
UPDATE 10:35AM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) July 24, 2022
Three lanes north are now available, with delays easing northbound through the Spaghetti Jctn area. Four lanes remain open southbound, with no delays. Wind gusts continue with speed restrictions in place. Take extra care and allow extra time. ^TP https://t.co/QDoCCpTUZv
Here's an image showing the rainfall accumulations over Northland and Auckland over the past 24 hours. About 100mm in eastern parts of Northland. Less recorded around Auckland so far but more coming throughout the day. https://t.co/Yjbq0jgaoz for your forecast pic.twitter.com/qynTCghmxA
— MetService (@MetService) July 24, 2022
SH80 MT COOK RD, CANTERBURY - SNOW - 3:00 PM MON, 25 JUL
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Canterbury & West Coast (@WakaKotahiCWC) July 25, 2022
Due to snow forecast overnight from approximately 6 pm, road users are advised to take extra care, drive to the conditions & plan your journey accordingly. ^SM pic.twitter.com/ZkDjNUao63
In the Far North, the Kaeo River, which is prone to flooding, spilled onto State Highway 10 after heavy rainfall. A webcam of the river shows the water level is at almost 3.5m.
Schools are closed, thousands are without power and roads have been affected by flooding and slips across Northland.
Up to 2000 properties in Waitangi and Paihia lost power this morning as network provider Top Energy said the storm had damaged a key power line feeding the Haruru Substation in Northland.
Crews were working in "challenging conditions" and the company warned people to treat all power lines and electrical wiring as being live at all times.
At midday, two roads in Northland remained closed. A fallen tree has closed Upokorau Rd while a slip on Kohumaru Rd could take up to 24 hours to clear, says the Far North District Council.
This morning, a truck flipped on to its side north of Matamata due to high winds, with one person injured and the contents of the vehicle strewn across the road.
Emergency services responded to the crash in Tower Rd at Turangaomoana just before 7.15am.
Due to a fallen tree blocking part of Hibiscus Coast Highway, bus 981 services that would normally be between Hibiscus Coast Station & Waiwera will instead be between Hibiscus Coast Station & Orewa.
— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) July 25, 2022
This will skip 11 bus stops in each direction between Orewa Shops and Waiwera. pic.twitter.com/9lewezHIju
As well as all the heavy rain and strong winds, this system will also bring snow to the South Island ranges. A number of South Island Alpine Roads could see snow settling, and we have issued Road Snow Warnings, which you can check out here https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/BpYhKsEHj8
— MetService (@MetService) July 25, 2022
The new "rainmaker" weather event arrived overnight, bringing heavy rain and gale-force wind warnings for many of the North Island.
Heavy rain is falling across Auckland, Northland and other North Island areas this morning as the tropical low-pressure system moves in.
There are more than 20 weather watches and warnings in place across the country and the worst of the weather is expected to hit the North Island from 10am to 2am tomorrow.
As well as all the heavy rain and strong winds, this system will also bring snow to the South Island ranges. A number of South Island Alpine Roads could see snow settling, and we have issued Road Snow Warnings, which you can check out here https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/BpYhKsEHj8
— MetService (@MetService) July 25, 2022
In the South Island, MetService have issued a number of road snowfall warnings, including for Lewis Pass from 2pm to 9pm, Arthur's Pass 3pm to 2am tomorrow, Porter's Pass from 4pm to 1am, Lindis Pass from 8pm to 11pm tomorrow and the Crown Range Rd from 1am to 4pm tomorrow.
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