Parts of the upper North Island have another severe thunderstorm watch in place until 10pm Thursday, and a major highway into Coromandel remains in a precarious state ahead of the long weekend.<\/p>\n
MetService said a line of heavy showers offshore to the north was tracking southwards and approaching Auckland, Coromandel, and parts of Waikato. There is a risk of downpours.<\/p>\n
Authorities say any flooding and slips are expected to be very localised and the weekend should bring better weather, with rain expected again on Monday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, State Highway 25A into the Coromandel is still deteriorating after a massive slip took out a chunk of the road due to the heavy rain over the past few days.<\/p>\n
The road was closed earlier this month when cracks started to form.<\/p>\n
Work on the major highway has been delayed, with no firm date for when it will reopen.<\/p>\n
Waka Kotahi said the rest of State Highway 25 was at a high risk for slips and anybody planning to travel through the area should exercise extreme caution.<\/p>\n
Volunteers at an emergency centre in South Auckland’s M\u0101ngere say around 400\u00a0400 displaced people are turning up each day needing emergency housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n