Bay of Islands, N. Island
After giving up with Coromandel, we decided to head up to the North of the North Island, to a region known as the Bay of Islands. Again, this area is supposed to be home to some amazing beaches and scenery, although amongst the ever-worsening weather conditions, the area looked far from stunning. Indeed it was actually difficult to look out to sea to see any Islands at all!
After one night here, and no let-up with the weather, we decided to head back down to Auckland before we fly out. However, this was easier said than done and little did we know what was in store for us.
We knew that there had been plenty of rain in the area but we certainly didn't expect the local supermarket car-park to be flooded! Indeed when we filled up with petrol, the attendant just laughed when we told her we were headed to Auckland!
About ten minutes South of the Bay of Islands we came to our first obstacle - a waist deep flood across the road! Fortunately there were plenty of people there helping cars that had got stuck whilst driving through! We were lucky though, in that our car made it through like a dream! As we continued to drive further South, the extent of the flooding became even more apparent. What were once fields, were now lakes and what used to be streams, were raging rivers! Indeed the whole area was awash with water!
That said, the roads were in fact ok, until we hit disaster!! A railway bridge that had collapsed due to the extensive flooding and washed down into a road bridge, causing a complete road block. On top of this was the fact that the road was several feet under water at the lowest point - far more than was possible to drive through. Upon turning back, we soon realised that the water level had risen to a point that made the road unpassable in both directions! At this stage we, along with a number of other cars, had resided to the fact that we were going to be there for some time!
About 6 hours later, the water level had fallen enough for us to make it to the nearby village pub where we met someone that had lost two entire cars, which had been completely washed away from the floods! They told us how the water completely filled the entire downstairs of their house, from floor to ceiling and how, from the upstairs window, they could do nothing to stop their farm animals from a life underwater!
After a further couple of hours, along with a convoy of other cars, we decided to take a detour through some narrow side-roads to the nearest town. Eventually we made it, but not without a few hair-raising skids as we meandered through the wet, winding roads, surrounded by nothing but deep, deep floods!
Bay of Islands in the rain (left) and the start of the flooding (right)
What used to be a field (left) and, prior to the water level rising even further, what used to be a herd of cows (right)
After one night here, and no let-up with the weather, we decided to head back down to Auckland before we fly out. However, this was easier said than done and little did we know what was in store for us.
We knew that there had been plenty of rain in the area but we certainly didn't expect the local supermarket car-park to be flooded! Indeed when we filled up with petrol, the attendant just laughed when we told her we were headed to Auckland!
About ten minutes South of the Bay of Islands we came to our first obstacle - a waist deep flood across the road! Fortunately there were plenty of people there helping cars that had got stuck whilst driving through! We were lucky though, in that our car made it through like a dream! As we continued to drive further South, the extent of the flooding became even more apparent. What were once fields, were now lakes and what used to be streams, were raging rivers! Indeed the whole area was awash with water!
That said, the roads were in fact ok, until we hit disaster!! A railway bridge that had collapsed due to the extensive flooding and washed down into a road bridge, causing a complete road block. On top of this was the fact that the road was several feet under water at the lowest point - far more than was possible to drive through. Upon turning back, we soon realised that the water level had risen to a point that made the road unpassable in both directions! At this stage we, along with a number of other cars, had resided to the fact that we were going to be there for some time!
About 6 hours later, the water level had fallen enough for us to make it to the nearby village pub where we met someone that had lost two entire cars, which had been completely washed away from the floods! They told us how the water completely filled the entire downstairs of their house, from floor to ceiling and how, from the upstairs window, they could do nothing to stop their farm animals from a life underwater!
After a further couple of hours, along with a convoy of other cars, we decided to take a detour through some narrow side-roads to the nearest town. Eventually we made it, but not without a few hair-raising skids as we meandered through the wet, winding roads, surrounded by nothing but deep, deep floods!
Bay of Islands in the rain (left) and the start of the flooding (right)
What used to be a field (left) and, prior to the water level rising even further, what used to be a herd of cows (right)
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