Wild weather whips through Auckland

Wild weather sent trampolines flying through the air and toppled trees as a wind storm which wreaked havoc on the lower North Island on Monday night tore through Auckland yesterday.

Gusts of up to 100kmh whipped through the city, tearing tiles off roofs, downing trees and knocking out power to around 800 people as the storm passed over Auckland around lunchtime.

Two trampolines were blown onto power lines in Mangere, another trampoline ended up on a property across the street in Beachhaven, roof panels were torn away from the Downtown shopping centre, and glass panels were shattered at Rydges Hotel in the CBD.

Pedestrians in the central city were seen clinging to poles to avoid being blown over as the wind storm hit.

The Fire Service attended more than 30 incidents between 11am and 12.15pm.

A large tree branch which fell across Karaka Road in Pukekohe closed the eastbound lane on SH22 just east of the Pukekohe golf course around 4.30pm.

The wind also caused flight disruptions at Auckland Airport in the late morning and early afternoon, with both domestic jet and Air New Zealand Link services delayed and several flights diverted to alternative ports.

One international service, NZ700 from Sydney, was diverted to Wellington.

All Vector customers had their power restored by last night, after outages were reported in a number of small pockets across the city.

Debris from gardens, roofing materials and rubbish were blown onto power lines as the storm whipped through the city around lunchtime, the company said.

MetService forecaster John Law said wind gusts on the Auckland Harbour Bridge reached 102kmh, while other parts of the city saw gusts between 90kmh and 100 kmh.

- By Patrice Dougan of APNZ