Clean up begins after wild weather
A clean-up has begun in the Far North after the Tasman Tempest played its part in causing major flood damage, car accidents and power outages.
MetService Meteorologist Nicole Ranger says throughout Northland rain gauges recorded between 100 to 200mm of rain from March 9 to 12.
Kerikeri Airport recorded 180mm, Kaikohe recorded 168mm and Whangarei Airport recorded 92mm.
Lines company Top Energy reported more than 700 properties experienced outages from March 10 to March 12 as a result of slips and trees falling on lines from Kaitaia through to the Hokianga.
Fire Service communications centre manager Peter Stevenson says that Northland brigades from Kaiwaka to Kaitaia received 43 weather-related callouts over the four day period.
Karangahape Marae Secretary Robert Rush says March 10 was ‘‘the day from hell’’ in the Matangirau Valley, near Kaeo.
He says around a metre of water flooded the wharenui and the kitchen of the marae as well as the bottom floor of his home next door.
His five children are staying with relatives as the beds they slept on were damaged by floodwaters.
Rush says the Te Touwai Stream floods the Matangirau Valley during heavy rainfall and generally affects around seven homes as well as the marae.
‘‘In a big event nothing is going to stop the water.’’
One man died and another person was injured on March 10 after a collision between a truck and a car in Towai, south of Kawakawa.
The crash closed State Highway 1 for several hours.
The Far North District Council were asking Kerikeri residents to conserve water on March 13 while emergency repairs were being made to the Kerikeri Water Treat- ment Plant.
Kerikeri Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Les Wasson says the brigade responded to 15 calls between March 9 and March 12.
Several of these were for minor flooding due to blocked spoutings or drains and four were to attend minor car accidents, he says.
One family also evacuated their home to the Te Waiora Marae in the Waiomio Valley south of Kawakawa.
Te Waiora Marae kuia Kuina Scrivener says about 20 residents in the Waiomio Valley were threatened by rising waters.