Tuesday, January 10, 2023

WEATHER, HOLIDAYMAKERS AND GARDEN

Both Northland, where we live, and the Coromandel Peninsula are holiday spots for Aucklanders.  As Christmas is in summer here, a lot of companies shut down over the Christmas/New Year period and many people head to our beaches.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my last post, we had storms forecast and people packed up their tents or caravans and headed home before the storm hit.  Camping is very popular here.  I feel sorry for the campgrounds as this was the first year since Covid when they were once again fully booked. 

I read that by the 6th January we had the amount of rain we usually get for the whole month.  Fortunately, we had a fine weekend (great for catching up with washing & drying and gardening).  

Yesterday, we were told that cyclone Hale was heading this way and we were issued a Heavy Rain warning.  It rained all night and is still raining heavily.  I have just been out clearing some drains and harvesting mainly beans but also some cucumbers and tomatoes.  (or as Doug says "playing in the mud".  I need not have put a coat on as I was soon drenched to the skin.  I have never seen so much water in our neighbour's back garden and ours is pretty boggy as well.

Amazingly, the tomatoes seem o.k. at present 

LATER: We decided to go for a 5 minute Drive to Totara Parklands.  This is where we often walk alongside a small stream but it is much larger today.  Not a flood yet but that may come when all the water gets down from the higher ground.

I took this short video on my phone to show the noise of the river.  It is very shaky as I was trying to keep my umbrella in place in heavy rain and wind.









On the way back home we stopped at Whangarei Falls.  Below is the small bridge that goes across the river.  Well under water today.







In this photo if you enlarge it you can see the picnic table at the bottom of the Falls.



and a view looking back along the river with a bedraggled yours truly heading back to the car.



18 comments:

  1. That looks bad. We had a lovely sunny day yesterday, but I see at the bottom of my screen that it says 'Heavy rain soon'. It'll probably arrive just as I take Billy out.

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    1. At least the rain has stopped today although we have been told another cyclone is on its way.

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  2. Too much rain, the news didn't include your area, that looks dangerous,. We haven't had much down here, some wind, not gales, and a few skiffs of what I wouldn't even call drizzle today.

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    1. Pleased that it didn't reach you. It has eased today.

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  3. Rushing torrents!! Those pics are incredible. A friend of ours was camping at Lake Rotoiti. She sent photos of mud and bruises from slipping in it. Not much of a summer

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  4. Whew! That's a lot of water going over the falls! I noticed that some cricket matches in NZ were abandoned without a ball being bowled last week - now I know why.

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    1. The tennis has been affected as well with most games being held indoors.

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  5. The fury of nature at its best!

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  6. An impressive amount of water...not to go too close to either!
    We have been getting the beginnings of Hale in Whanganui since yesterday...rain all night...it will be interesting to see how high the river goes next high tide..it was already very full yesterday morning

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    1. At least it has eased here now. It looks like just showers until Tuesday.

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  7. Is that unusual weather for NZ? It certainly looks different from what I would imagine at this time of year. Mind you it looks very dramatic to watch as long as you are standing somewhere safe.

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    1. Very unusual. November was the wettest by a long way since records began in 1943. December was very wet although I didn't see the final figures. This month we had what we would usually get in a month in the first 6 days and have had a lot since then. Bring on some summer.

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  8. It's almost like the south and north islands have swapped weather patterns. We've only had the odd day of drizzle here but my parents in mangawhai said they've had severe flooding there.

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    1. You chose the right time to move south. Rain again today but luckily only heavy drizzle.

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  9. Your poor garden - I hope you have survived the storm okay. We only got the very edge of it here (steady rain and some wind). Hopefully now we can have some summer :)

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    1. I just saw on the News that another storm is going to hit the East Coast midweek. They could do without that.

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