About 74,000 homes and businesses in Auckland have been hit by a major power outage stretching from Mt Wellington to Newmarket.
The outage is believed to have started from a transformer fault at 1.10pm, which has affected mainly the eastern suburbs, a Transpower spokesman said.
A sub-station at Penrose is out, which has also affected Glen Innes and Greenlane Hospital.
Shops in Remuera were plunged into darkness at 1pm.
Numerous traffic lights have also been affected, with lights out from Onehunga to Orakei including Balmoral and Green Lane.
Traffic lights in Remuera Rd intersections between Upland Rd and Bassett Rd were also out.
Police are advising motorists to delay their journey in these areas until power is restored or expect delays, Inspector Kerry Watson said.
"The rule that applies is give way to the right until power is restored," Mr Watson said.
Transpower is working on restoring electricity as quickly as possible. Restoration is due to start in stages, but it is not clear how long this will take.
