Several Waiheke residents had to evacuate flooded homes, a school was closed, roads were blocked by fallen trees and drivers were slowed by slips and flooding yesterday morning.
Waiheke Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Bruce Sciascia was exhausted after firefighters rushed to 26 call outs over an 11-hour period from 11.30pm on Tuesday night.
“We’ve had four trucks on the road non-stop for the last 11 hours,” Mr Sciascia said.
Waiheke Primary School was closed because of “severe flooding” in the office area.
Trucks were underwater on Tahi Road, where Tawaipareira stream had swollen and flooded nearby industrial properties.
Capstone Property Services director Dave Jack said water was up to their waists in the lower area of the Tahi Road property where they operate their business.
“The whole of the bottom side of Tahi Road is under water at the moment,” he said. Shipping containers hired to hold people’s belongings were floating on the floodwaters, so Mr Jack anticipated water damage.
Pie Melon Bay farm manager Joe Muir said 163 millimetres of rain fell overnight on Tuesday. He was stuck at his home near Awaawaroa Road, which was blocked by a fallen macrocarpa tree.
Calais Terrace in Ostend was also blocked by trees and a slip, while numerous other slips, debris and flooding made roads hazardous. • Rose Davis
