Northland’s newest regional council rain gauge showed more than a whole summer’s worth of rain fell on Northland’s coastal settlement of Punaruku north-east of Whangārei during this weekend’s weather bomb.
By Susan Botting of Local Democracy Reporting
The rain gauge was installed onto Ōtetao Reti Marae in conjunction with its highly supportive community after a gap in Northland Regional Council’s rain recording sites was identified.
Punarurku, to the west of Whangaruru Harbour about 50km from Whangārei, recorded the Northland’s heaviest rainfall over the weekend with 285.5mm of rain. This fell from 11.30am on Saturday to 11.30am Sunday.
The rainfall compares with the around 260mm that typically falls over the area in summer.
Northland Regional Council natural resources monitoring manager Jason Donaghy said it was great to have the new recording site on the marae.
Meanwhile, regional council senior hydrology monitoring officer – central Marcus Schlesier said Te Tai Tokerau’s east coast had seen significant rainfall between midnight Saturday and 9am Sunday.
The Metservice had issued a weather watch for the duration which was followed up by thunderstorm warnings and an orange weather warning in the early hours of the morning. It had lifted the rain warning at 9am Sunday.
Schlesier said the rain fell in torrential intensities of about 80mm an hour.
Northland typically received 80mm of rain in a normal January.
Recording showed that about 80mm of rain fell for in each of two consecutive hours from 3am to 5am Sunday.
The Punaruku rainfall recording site was installed on the marae on September 11.
Schlesier said the Punaruku rainfall was significant.
Punaruku compared with February 2023’s Mangawhai floods on the heels of Cyclone Gabrielle where the closest rain guage to that settlement recorded hourly rainfalls of 94mm, 85mm and 73mm over three hours – and a total 379.5mm over the whole of the eight-hour event.
Northland Regional Council data shows Punaruku’s rainfall was 50% higher than the next highest rainfall recorded over the weekend, at Ngunguru.
Ngunguru recorded 189.5mm.
There was also 149mm of rain at Glenbervie.
Puhipuhi recorded 109mm.
The regional council's 13 Whangārei district rainfall recording sites otherwise varied from Marsden Point 76mm, Whangārei central city 64mm to Otaika 58.5mm and Wilsons Dam near Ruakākā 55.5mm. The Bryderwyns recorded 45.5mm.
At Poroti 17mm, fell in comparison.
The regional council’s 10 Kaipara district rainfall recording sites were topped by the heaviest falls in the lower south-east, Hakaru at Tara recorded 96mm, while Hakaru at Topuni Creek Farm recorded 69.5mm.
Its other Kaipara figures included Paparoa 35mm, Maungaturoto 29mm, Kai Iwi Lakes 5mm. Dargaville got no rain at all this weekend.
Meanwhile, the regional council’s 17 Far North rainfall recording sites showed only 14 recorded rain – including Opua 48mm, Taheke 15mm, Kaeo 5mm and Ohaeawai 1.5mm. Kerikeri got 1mm with most other places across the district including the Aupouri Peninsula getting no rain.
Punaruku’s Ōtetao Reti Marae also opened its doors as a civil defence-related marae community centre during the weekend’s deluge.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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