Thousands of Auckland homes are still without power this afternoon after wild weather wreaked havoc last night, with fallen trees hampering restoration efforts.
A man is in hospital in a stable condition after a tree fell on his car while driving on the city's Southern Motorway in the most serious of the weather-related incidents last night.
Twenty-five areas across the city were this afternoon still reported by Vector as experiencing electricity outages, ranging from Helensville in the North to Papakura in the South, to Piha in the West to Waiheke Island in the East.
Vector spokeswoman Melanie Tuala said line crews were working hard to get power back up as quickly as possible, but were being hampered by fallen trees.
Ms Tuala said there were downed power lines all across Auckland and the surrounding regions.
"It's important people stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times. People using medical equipment that relies on electricity should let their retailer know and ensure they are prepared for power disruptions. If there is an immediate health threat, they should contact their health provider or call 111."
A man is in Middlemore Hospital in a stable condition after a tree fell on his car on the Southern Motorway near Rosehill, a police spokesperson said.
Seven people were in the car. The man was previously in a critical condition, and two others had serious injuries.
A Middlemore spokesperson said two patients were now stable, and it is believed the other patient had been discharged.
The police spokesman said the weather has been "extremely inclement", and power outages meant no lights were on along the motorway.
He said the tree "came straight down on top of the car".
A member of the public following the vehicle pulled all seven occupants out after the crash. The passengers were aged from 5 months old to their early 50s.
Onehunga resident Catherine Somerville-Frost said half of an 80 year old coral tree - the width of a man's torso - came within a metre and a half of her home
"It was impressive... We've got big 150 metre Norfolk Pines around us that were bending over. It was moving our wicker furniture and a barbecue across the deck which was quite impressive," Ms Somerville-Frost said.
Strong winds and rain struck upper North Island last night, causing numerous emergency calls.
Fire service northern shift manager Dallas Ramsay says they've attended more than 150 weather-related callouts [between 8:30pm and 1:30am].
She says they've been dealing with downed power lines, trees blown over - and runaway trampolines picked up by the wind.
