Cyclone Tam cuts off towns, leaves thousands without power across the North Island

Cyclone Tam continues to strike the North Island. State Highway 25 is now affected on both sides of the Coromandel, due to which access to Tairua, Whitianga, and Coromandel is cut off, isolating them from other cities.

High tide is expected later tonight (April 17). The NZ Transport Agency says worsening weather could force full closures on both ends of SH25. Cellphone reception is down in many areas, making emergency calling difficult.

Northpower, the leading contributor to New Zealand’s electricity supply industry, says repairs are going on, as thousands of homes lose power and many homes may be without power for two to three more days.


In Auckland, around 10,000 homes lost power during the night, but 85% have since been reconnected, according to Vector, an energy infrastructure company in New Zealand. Power is also currently out at the Hibiscus Coast Bus Interchange.

Some ferries and flights, including 19 Air NZ flights, were delayed or cancelled, leaving travellers stranded ahead of the Easter weekend. Flooding has been reported in several parts of the North Island, with emergency services urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.

MetService has issued an update stating that Cyclone Tam is currently positioned to the west of Aotearoa and is expected to gradually weaken over the coming days. It formed earlier this week and has since moved across the North Island, bringing severe weather, and was described as “the worst since 2017.”