Northlanders are being urged to continue to take weather warnings seriously, even if Cyclone Vaianu was not as bad as past events.

While Northland was impacted by flooding, power cuts and road closures, the effect was not as severe in some areas as recent events, such as the thunderstorm on January 18, which caused flooding and slips in Ōakura, or the weather event on March 26 that led to evacuations in Kaitāia and Hokianga.

In anticipation of the cyclone, a region-wide State of Emergency was declared for Northland – the third time a State of Emergency has been declared in Northland this year alone.

Jude Thompson, a Civil Defence volunteer for Whangaruru North, said the Whangaruru and Ōakura areas had some flooding and trees down but fared a lot better than in January.

Preparation was key, as it gave people in high-risk homes a chance to evacuate to local marae before it was too late, she said.

On January 18, the sudden flooding forced people to flee from their homes in waist-deep water, including a man who rescued his partner and two grandchildren in Mōkau from raging floodwaters.

Thompson said better communication networks had also been set up in the area, so it was easier to share messages about incidents such as road closures.

“We were very well-prepared compared with January, where it caught lots of us by surprise.”

The key message now was to treat every weather event with the utmost respect and still take it seriously, not to treat the alerts like crying wolf, Thompson said.

“Be aware of the cry-wolf syndrome: it’s a key message to treat every event with respect and follow the calls of Civil Defence.”

Taunaha Brown (from left) and Maria Hepi-Haika say the mood at Mōkau Marae on Saturday night was light as people weathered the cyclone there. Photo / Denise Piper

Thompson said a key concern now was fatigue hitting kaimahi (workers) and support workers, who were already tired before this event hit.

Mōkau Marae co-ordinator Taunaha Brown said it was best to be warned of the dangers and if severe weather damage did not happen, it was because prayers were answered.

“I welcome the information, we want to know. If it doesn’t happen it’s because our prayers have been answered: you can’t say it’s crying wolf if it’s what we prayed for.”

Brown said 15 people stayed at Mōkau Marae on Saturday night, including whānau still displaced by the January flooding, a couple of people with medical conditions and several others whose homes were shaking badly in the wind.

She expected people would stay on Sunday night, just to be sure the bad weather had passed before they went home.

While the marae was about 1km from the beach, the sea was roaring and “sounded like a train”, Brown said.

State Highway 1 at the Brynderwyns, south of Whangārei, was impacted by a slip on Sunday. Photo / NZTA

But the mood was kept light with moko (grandchildren) singing and the wharekai (dining hall) well-stocked with food.

Those making donations included the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which gave $1000 for food to the four local marae, she said.

Whangārei residents praise warnings

In other parts of Whangārei, residents were happy with the early warnings about the severe weather, even though it was not as bad as expected.

Tikipunga resident Teina Wells-Smith, who went to Whangārei Falls on Sunday morning to see the extent of the flooding, said people had time to be prepared.

“It’s not as bad as it was for [Cyclone] Gabrielle, so I think we’re really lucky.

Whangārei Falls were roaring on Sunday morning, thanks to high rainfall from Cyclone Vaianu. Photo / Brodie Stone

“It might not of been as big [as expected] but, if it had been, we would’ve been ready, I think.” 

Wells-Smith, a teacher, said recent weather events had impacted his whānau on the northeast coast, including stopping children from getting to school.

Whangārei resident Amy England took her son to Whangārei Falls to show him the power behind the storm.
She had seen several severe weather events in the five years she had lived in Tikipunga.

“I thought this would be more damage, but I think this has been pretty mild compared to what it was meant to be like."

England was meant to go to a sports event on Saturday night in Auckland but came home because of the warnings, which she praised.

“For me, to get those warnings so early is preparing me ... I’ve got kids and I don’t have a 4WD.

Flooding at Uretiti on Sunday morning spilled from farmland on to the road. Photo / John Subritzky

Civil Defence Northland also thanked the region for getting prepared, even though the impacts of Cyclone Vaianu were less than expected.

In a post on social media, the organisation also reiterated the importance of treating weather warnings seriously.
“By preparing yourself and your whānau when warnings go out, you make a huge difference to how well we can manage and come through emergencies, from easing the pressure on emergency responders to helping us direct support to where it is needed most.”

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.