A close eye will be kept on the Hikuwai River in Gisborne overnight after water levels steadily rose on Tuesday as Cyclone Hale continued to bring warning criteria rain to parts of the North Island.
MetService said Gisborne, Coromandel and parts of Northland had “exceptional falls” on Tuesday, and the storm was not done with concerns shifting to rising rivers on the East Coast.
All regions hit by the storm had experienced various degrees of flooding, leading to road closures and other disruption.
However, Wednesday would “hopefully” be the last day of the storm, which was forecast to move away from the country’s shores at night, a MetService forecaster said.
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State Highway 35 between Ruatōria and Tolaga Bay was closed at 7pm on Tuesday due to concerns about the rising Hikuwai River.
The river had been steadily rising and was at 9 metres as of 6pm. But with the forecast rainfall, it could reach over 13m which was concerning and would reach the criteria for evacuations.
“That’s up and around the levels we don’t like to see,” Gisborne District Council Civil Defence emergency manager Ben Green said.
Brennan Thomas/Stuff
State Highway 35 between Ruatōria and Tolaga Bay was closed at 7pm on Tuesday due to concerns about the rising Hikuwai River.
Gisborne District Council said the river may reach a peak of up to 13.5m at 10pm on Tuesday, higher than during Cyclone Bola in 1988.
Already, a number of households had evacuated as a precaution and although they were keeping an eye across the region, the Hikuwai river was most susceptible to heavy rain, Green said.
The weather system had moved towards the Hauraki Gulf on Tuesday afternoon, before heading to the Bay of Plenty and the east of Aotearoa.
Projections of river flows by Niwa showed many on the East Coast were forecast to rise to extreme levels and further road closures were expected in the region.
Christel Yardley/Stuff
People brace themselves at Buffalo Beach in Whitianga at high tide on Tuesday during the storm.
The heaviest rainfalls across the region were recorded in the mountain ranges, including 200mm recorded in the Coromandel pinnacles on Tuesday, as well as 226mm in the Gisborne ranges, MetService forecaster Aidan Pyselman said.
Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz had one clear message for Gisborne district residents.
“We are asking our community to please stay home.”
“We are watching river levels and seeing some surface flooding so it’s a case of wait and see.”
On Tuesday evening, Tolaga Bay resident Haley Allet said she expected the worst of the storm was still to arrive.
Christel Yardley/Stuff
The storm was sitting off the east of Coromandel but was expected to have come closer to land overnight.
A former resident of Mangatuna, she understood the concerns authorities had for the rural community. “It was terrible in a storm. The river would flood right up over the fields and the roads and you were basically stuck.”
Hinetamatea Marae secretary Elaine Tamatea who was in Gisborne was worried about the high tide, due at 9.30pm.
RICKY WILSON/STUFF
Cyclone Hale causes chaos for motorists and farmers in North Auckland.
She had whānau at home in Anaura Bay. She said videos sent to her have shown no water on the roof of the marae and that residents were prepared.
“The water is starting to pool on the ground but people are doing the best they can in their own homes. Sandbags, ditches, diverting the water and those are the lessons we’ve learnt over the years.”
A heavy rain warning for Northland and Auckland regions expired on Tuesday evening.
Brennan Thomas/Stuff
Uawa civil defence member Shanan Gray watches a livestream of the Hikuwai River which rose to 9metres on Tuesday.
The storm was sitting off the east of Coromandel but was expected to have come closer to land overnight.
It was forecast to move over Coromandel and shift across to Gisborne on Wednesday.
The Coromandel Peninsula was still expected to have a further 100mm to 150mm of rain on top of what had already fallen, making totals of 250mm to 350 mm for the entire event, MetService said. A heavy rain warning was due to expire at 2am on Wednesday.
Brennan Thomas/Stuff
There are concerns the Hikuwai River will rise to 13m – levels that would trigger evacuations.
A similar forecast was issued for Gisborne with a warning also expiring at 2am on Wednesday. Heavy rain was expected to continue till 10am on Wednesday in Hawke’s Bay.
As the storm tracked down the East Coast, heavy rain warnings were issued for 24 hours from 9pm on Tuesday for the eastern hills and ranges of Wairarapa with peak rates of 10mm to 15mm per hour possible on Wednesday evening.
There is a heavy rain watch for Mount Taranaki and the area surrounding Tongariro National Park.
RICKY WILSON/Stuff
Cyclone Hale flooding in North Auckland Whangaripo Valley Road. Rain is set to ease in the northern parts of the motu as the storm moves down the east coast.
Eastern Wairarapa and the Tararua Range will be hammered with 140mm of rain, falling until Wednesday evening.
Pyselman said showers could still remain even after warnings expired.
”One more day of it, and then it looks like on Thursday we gradually see a ridge building which generally is going to see an improving trend with fine weather for the end of the working week.”
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