Auckland braces for flooding as Cyclone Gabrielle batters New Zealand

Flights cancelled and residents told to stay home as city faces second deluge this year

Residents of Auckland braced for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle on Monday, two weeks after a record-breaking storm swamped New Zealand’s largest city and killed four people.

Much of Auckland ground to a halt as train services were cancelled, libraries and most schools closed, and authorities asked people to make only essential trips.

Air New Zealand cancelled all domestic flights to and from Auckland until Tuesday morning, as well as many international flights.

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  Waves crash against a sea wall at an Auckland beach as Cyclone Gabrielle hits the upper parts of New Zealand. AP

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  Clifftop houses near a slip caused by continuous bad weather in Auckland. Reuters

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  New Zealand's national airline has cancelled dozens of flights as Aucklanders brace for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle. AP

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  Cars negotiate flooded roads in the northern New Zealand city of Whangarei. AP

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  Sand bags are placed along the coastline as Cyclone Gabrielle buffets the Coromandel, south of Auckland. AP

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  A man stands on a breakwater with his bike along the waterfront in Auckland. AP

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  Stranded passengers wait outside Auckland Airport after flights were cancelled. AP

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  Passengers wait in departure lounges at Auckland Airport. AP

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  Cyclone Gabrielle comes just two weeks after a record-breaking storm swamped the nation's largest city and killed several people. AP

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  Planes wait on the tarmac at Auckland Airport after flights were cancelled. AP

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  Flooded roads in the northern New Zealand city of Whangarei. AP

Although the storm was downgraded as it approached on Sunday, it had already toppled trees, damaged roads and downed power lines.

The cyclone, which was moving south, dumped more than 220mm of rain in areas north of Auckland, cutting power to about 58,000 households and forcing many roads to close.

About 46,000 homes remained without power on Monday afternoon.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in Northland, Auckland and some other regions, and were asking some residents in low-lying areas to evacuate.

“Things will get worse before they get better,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in a press conference, urging people to “be prepared, stay inside if you can”.

He said the government had considered declaring a national state of emergency for only the third time in the country's history but it was not yet necessary.

The government announced an aid package of $7.25 million to help recovery efforts.

Gabrielle was expected to pass Auckland overnight. Its wind speed was downgraded as gusts abated to about 130kph.

“This is a widespread and significant weather event. Significant heavy rain and damaging winds are impacting many parts of northern and central New Zealand. In addition, large waves, storm surges and coastal inundation are affecting exposed eastern coasts of the North Island,” weather forecaster MetService said.

The storm hit Auckland two weeks ago after the wettest day ever recorded in the city of 1.6 million, with as much rain falling over 24 hours as would typically fall over an entire summer.

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  Flooding around a playground in Auckland, New Zealand, on January 29. Getty Images

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  Auckland was hit with a record amount of rainfall on Friday, causing severe flooding of roads and property across the city. Getty Images

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  Residents and emergency services began to take stock of the damage after the largest amount of rainfall in a day on record. Getty Images

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  Recovery efforts began over the weekend. Getty Images

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  Vehicles stranded by floodwater in Auckland. AP

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  A portable building rests on a car after being shifted by floodwater. AP

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  An area flooded during heavy rainfall. Photo: @MonteChristoNZ/via Reuters

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  Flooding near Auckland Airport. Reuters

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  A truck is stopped by floodwater near Auckland. AP

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  Emergency workers and a man wade through water. AP

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  The flooding caused widespread disruption. AP

Quickly rising floodwaters and landslides killed four people, caused widespread disruption and left hundreds of homes unliveable.

Metservice meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said that given Auckland was already saturated, more landslides and flooding were expected.

With Mr Hipkins and some other lawmakers unable to immediately travel from Auckland to capital Wellington, some events scheduled for this year’s opening session of parliament were rescheduled. Mr Hipkins’ statement outlining his priorities for the year was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday.