Floodwaters have surrounded homes and buildings in Ōakura, one of the Northland communities battered by floods, heavy rain, slips and wind on Sunday, forcing some to wade through deep waters.
Flooding in Northland has isolated communities, leading to a deluge of calls to emergency services and prompting warnings that those affected should move to higher ground.
Fire and Emergency said it was dealing with incidents throughout Northland. It was making plans to access properties and was only able to respond to immediate life-threatening situations, but people should move to higher ground if they need to and always call 111, if they or anyone else were in danger.
Ōakura Community Hall was devastated by a slip that smashed through the rear wall, and filled the hall with mud, trees and debris. Muddy water continued to flow out the hall's front doors hours after the slip began.
The hall was only reroofed and renovated about 18 months ago, after a massive community fundraising effort.
Ōakura, in the Whangārei District, has been badly hit by the flooding and storm, including severe damage to their town hall. Photo: RNZ/ Peter de Graaf
Justin Smith from Ōakura Bay Fish Diving Crews told RNZ the deluge was "the most significant flooding I have ever seen" and some locals had reported chest-deep water inside their houses.
"Just the combination of the massive downpour of water, combined with the high tide, meant significant damage in certain places in Ōakura," Smith said.
Have you been affected by the weather? Email us photos and videos: iwitness@rnz.co.nz
A landslide had been reported in the township of Ōakura, but no people or cars had been trapped underneath, FENZ said. A bridge was also washed out and houses flooded near Whangaruru Harbour.
MetService forecasters warned the area to expect more rain this week and, while it was expected to get heavy again, conditions were proving hard to work out when that could be.
A heavy rain watch for Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula was removed, but a yellow heavy rain warning remained for the north of the East Coast .
The flooding is really bad in the Helena Bay-Ōakura area of Northland, the woman who captured this image said on Sunday. Photo: Screengrab from video - supplied
Houses have reportedly flooded in Ōakura, with people having to wade through deep waters to move about. Photo: Supplied
The Ngaiotonga Bridge, on the edge of the Far North District, was washed out in the storm. Photo: Supplied/ Whangarei District Council
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