The notorious stretch of SH1 closed less than two weeks ago during the last bout of bad weather.
The southern side of SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills was down to one lane for seven hours after a slip.
Businesses at the time said slips on the beleaguered Brynderwyns had them concerned they would have to put up with many more years of uncertainty before a four-lane alternative solution is delivered.
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Northland was previously under a heavy rain watch but that has since been changed to an orange heavy rain warning for areas southeast of Tākou Bay in Kerikeri until 10pm tonight.
A strong wind watch has also been extended until 2pm today.
Parents in Whangārei were asked to pick their children up from Maunu Primary School as its grounds and Austin Rd had flooded.
“We want to assure you that all children are safe and warm inside the school building.”
Strong winds have also blown a piece of sheeting off a decommissioned holding tank by Mair Rd in Ruakākā.
Channel Infrastructure communications manager Laura Malcom said high winds had blown the cover on to its site, however, it was too blustery to send someone to cover the tank.
She said they were monitoring the situation and working with police.
There was no risk to the public.
The Whangārei District Council reported Mangapai Rd, off State Highway 1 in Oakleigh, had closed because of flooding.
The council was monitoring floodwaters on Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd, said to be 200mm deep in some places.
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Jordan Valley Rd, near Hikurangi, is underwater and appears impassable, and the water is rising on Kaka St in Morningside, a notorious spot for flooding in bad weather.
No road closures have been reported by the Kaipara District Council, the Far North District Council or NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
Motorists reported a slip on SH11 in Ōpua about 11am. Some trees had fallen across the road but were cleared within 15 minutes.
NZTA had not officially reported the slip or any closures.
Multiple slips and downed trees have been reported by a motorist travelling from Paihia to Kawakawa. The road was down to a single lane in some places.
About 255 Top Energy customers in the Far North are without power – down from 965 at 9am today.
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An equipment fault on the Ōruru feeder is behind the largest outage, impacting 114 customers near Peria.
Northpower has reported three unplanned power outages affecting 81 homes in Whakapara, Bickerstaffe Rd and Memorial Drive.
The power cut in Whakapara was because trees had fallen on to the power lines. Strong winds had caused Bickerstaffe Rd’s outage, and it was not known why power was out in Memorial Drive.
Top Energy said it had been a “wild night” with lots of wind that had only started to ease around mid-morning.
According to Northland Regional Council rainfall data, areas such as Kaikohe and Ōhaeawai have received more than 70mm since midnight.
Some locations near Kerikeri and the Bay of Islands had recorded more than 90mm as of 10am.
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MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakkar said the maximum wind speed recorded so far was a gust of 120km/h at Marsden Point about 9.30am.
The average wind speed for Marsden Point peaked about 65km/h.
Rainfall had largely cleared from western and northern areas but more heavy rain was expected today, especially along the east coast.
MetService encouraged people to stay up to date on the issued watches and warnings.
Moerewa local Roddy Pihema was busy already checking drains and culverts in the area.
Already, many of the residential streets in Moerewa were flooded, and the front lawns of some homes were completely submerged.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Flooding outside Te Kura Kaupapa o Taumarere about 10.45am this morning. Photo / Roddy Pihema
According to MetService’s rain radar, Kaikohe received 71mm of rain overnight, and Ōhaeawai received 54mm, including a downpour where 22mm fell in one hour.
In Ruakākā, swells of 4.3m were recorded at Marsden Point this morning.
More to come.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.