• Flooding has hit the Far North after more than a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours.
• A surf lifesaving boat was used to rescue a woman from rising river waters.
• Two major highways were closed, leaving a town cut off.
• About 350 homes and businesses in the Far North are without power on Friday.
• Several far north homes were evacuated after heavy rain on Thursday night.

A surf lifesaving boat was needed to rescue a woman from a rising river near Kaitāia, while several homes were evacuated and a number of cars lost to floodwaters after a deluge of rain.

Kaitāia, in the Far North, remains cut off from the rest of the country after flooding closed SH10 and slips closed SH1.

While it is still raining in the Far North, MetService said the worst of the rain has passed for Northland, after it was hit with more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours on Thursday.

The downpour shut down state highways, sparked severe flooding and knocked out power for more than 600 homes.

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Kaitāia Business Association’s Andrea Panther said the Awanui River was the highest she had ever seen in Kaitāia, but recent flood work by Northland Regional Council was working.

Flooding has closed SH10 at Kāeo River Bridge, with no detours available.

However, SH1 at Rangihua is now open following flooding over the last 24 hours, and SH11 is no longer flooded at Taumarere but traffic management is in place for two slips in the Lemons Hill area.

SH1 is also closed at Mangamuka Gorge due to large slips. After a storm in July 2020, the road was closed for a year.

A woman in her 70s had to be rescued by a surf boat, after her house south of Kaitāia was surrounded by floodwaters on Thursday afternoon.

Kaitāia Volunteer Fire Brigade initially attempted to cross the floodwater, but it was flowing too fast, said deputy chief fire officer Ross Beddows​.

The crew called Far North Surf Life Saving Club, based at Ahipara, which used a rigid inflatable boat to rescue the resident just after midday.

Beddows said the woman was in distress as the floodwaters had risen rapidly around her house and she was unable to stay in her home.

But she was unharmed and after the rescue was taken to a friend’s house nearby.

The brigade also had to rescue a man from the floodwaters, around the same area at about 6pm, after he attempted to drive through the flooding and his van got swept to the side of the road, he said.

That rescue was more tricky because of the fading light, but the man was able to be moved to safety, Beddows said.

Civil Defence Northland spokesperson Zach Woods said a handful of Kaitāia families in low-lying Allen Bell Drive and nearby Parkdale Cres evacuated at around 6pm on Thursday.

“We are asking residents to delay any trips they have until the water levels have subsided,” he said.

Awanui River rose to high levels last night, but had not breached its banks. Water levels were subsiding, Woods said.

Kaitāia local Tia Hohaia said the floods came so quickly people didn’t have a chance to plan.

“We’ve had a lot of locals who can’t get back in. They’re stuck. Most of the people I work with are from rural areas, and those areas are cut off.

“We’ve had to close the office because people can’t get in,” Hohaia said.

Far North District Council had evacuation centres on standby, at Roma Marae and Kaitāia College, in case the Awanui River breached its banks, but spokesman Ken Lewis said they were not needed.

However, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is advising anyone driving in the Far North on Friday to do so slowly and carefully.

In Whangaroa, several cars got caught in floodwaters and four local roads in the Far North remain closed to flooding and slips.

Resident Marie Kerr said she watched several people get rescued from their stranded cars, including one person who jumped out the window, then returned to the car a bit later to turn off the headlights.

About 350 homes and businesses in the Far North are without power on Friday, lines company Top Energy reports.

There are power cuts in eight different places including Te Kao, Rawene, Towai and Awarua, with the company expecting to restore power in most places by this afternoon.

MetService has a heavy rain warning in place for Northland until 11am and in Auckland until 7am.

“There’s still heavy rain in Northland, but it has eased from what it was yesterday,” MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey said.

Kerikeri was the worst hit with 172mm of rain in 24 hours. Kaitāia saw 101.4mm of rain and Whangārei airport had 32.4mm.

“Thursday was the wettest day the Far North has seen all year,” Glassey said.

Niwa said Kaitaia’s minimum temperature of 18.2C, recorded overnight Thursday, is provisionally the hottest minimum temperature record for the month of August, setting a record for the country.

Meanwhile, Auckland has hit record August temperatures for the third night in a row.

On Thursday night, the lowest temperature was 16.1C – the warmest minimum temperature for an August night that Auckland has ever seen.

Glassey said the heavy rainfall and warm nights are linked.

“The air coming down from the tropics is warm and carrying a lot of moisture. That’s bringing both the warm temperatures and the potential for rain,” he said.