A slip in Waiwera has caused some people to be evacuated today, while most of Auckland and Northland is being warned about heavy rain ahead of the long weekend.
Footage captured by 1News of the slip north of Auckland shows the debris covering a road. A large tree had also come down, which had damaged a roof of a house below.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it had been alerted to the slip at about 6.30am. Crews from Silverdale and Puhoi assessed the risk from a second tree and working with police, residents of 18 properties had been evacuated.
"Everyone has been accounted for," said FENZ assistant district commander Quin Webster.
Webster said FENZ then contacted Auckland Council who arranged for a geotechnical engineer to respond.
Luke Baker, who was living in one of the damaged houses, said he had woken up to a “loud bang” this morning when a log fell through his roof.
“[The] main part of it fell into someone else’s house, and the log fell through my roof this morning.”
He called the experience “kind of terrifying”.
After the incident, Baker said he went to his neighbour’s house, where theywere all evacuated from the complex.
“It’s unsafe. We don’t know what’s going to happen now.”
Baker added he would hopefully be able to go back and get his car soon, along with some of his belongings.
“I just hope they can sort it and get it fixed as soon as possible.”
There are orange heavy rain warnings in place for eastern Northland (south of Kawakawa), Great Barrier Island and eastern Auckland (north of Whangaparāoa).
There are heavy rain watches for Northland south of Kaitaia (not included in the warning), Auckland north of Papakura (not covered by the warning) and Coromandel Peninsula north of Whitianga.
MetService said: "A low and associated trough are expected to bring heavy rain, with the potential for localised downpours, to northern parts of the North Island until Friday night."
Up to 150mm of rain could fall in eastern Northland - including up to 25mm an hour.
There is a low chance of the warning being upgraded to red. The warning is in place until midnight.
Up to 120mm could fall in north-east Auckland and Great Barrier Island - with the warnings in place until mid-afternoon.
"Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
"Clear your drains and gutters to prepare for heavy rain. Avoid low-lying areas and drive cautiously."
Anzac weekend forecast
MetService yesterday said the weather would improve in most parts of the country for Anzac Day.
However, some early morning showers were possible around the eastern coast of Northland, which could affect some dawn services.
"Dawn services are looking mostly dry, but it will be a cold start, especially inland," Law said. "Waiouru is set to be one of the coldest spots, with temperatures around 1C at daybreak."
While nights would remain chilly, plenty of sunshine was expected to help lift daytime temperatures, Law said, particularly across the eastern South Island. After a run of cooler days, Canterbury and Otago were expected to be the warmest parts of the country this weekend, with Dunedin forecast to reach around 22C on Saturday – about five degrees above average for this time of year.
High pressure would stay in charge through to Monday for most regions, giving Kiwis the chance to soak up the sunshine as they enjoy their final day of the long weekend.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including US forces seize another vessel, and what’s unusual about this Anzac Day. (Source: 1News)
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