NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
June 1975 New Zealand Storm ( 1975-06-13 )
Storms hit the whole of New Zealand and caused mainly minor damage but brought some flooding. A North Shore schoolboy, aged 13, was swept to his death after he slipped into the swollen Wairau Creek on the 14th.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 3 days - Storms hit the whole of New Zealand from the 13th and 15th of June 1975 and caused mainly minor damage but brought some flooding.
There were slips and power cuts to several areas.
South Island
Snow / Ice
at
South Island
There were widespread snowfalls, causing disruption to traffic and life generally.
Some stock losses were reported but farmers brought their flocks down to lower ground.
A foot (0.3 m) of snow lay over Mackenzie Country and inland South Canterbury on the 15th.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Northland
Northland was hit by the storm on the 13th and 14th. There was widespread flooding, with washouts and slips in several areas.
The worst hit areas were Nguguru and Tutukaka where shops and houses and the two towns' hotels were flooded.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Auckland City
Heavy rain accompanied by fierce squalls hit Auckland on the night of the 13th and 14th. There was widespread flooding, with washouts and slips in several areas.
Auckland recorded 126 mm (12.6 cm) of rain from the 13th to the morning of the 15th.
Auckland recorded about 101 mm (10.1 cm) of rain on the 14th.
Flooding
A North Shore schoolboy, aged 13, was swept to his death after he slipped into the swollen Wairau Creek on the 14th.
Water was backed up in storm drains in many parts of Auckland and flooded streets and basements of houses.
In some low-lying areas was sewage backed up through toilets and waste pipes.
Auckland emergency services was swamped with calls for help and reports of flood damage. The Automobile Assoication received 680 calls for help on the 14the and 15th.
The power was off in Manurewa on the night of the 14th.
Clevedon Road was under a foot (0.3 m) of water for 100 yards (91 m).
High Wind / Gust
High winds damaged several houses in the Sherwood subdivision at Browns Bay. Gaping holes were torn in roofs.
Tornado
at
Howick
About eight houses were damaged by a tornado on the 14th. Residents spent whole day repairing their damaged roofs. The storm lifted tiles and roofing iron from homes in Cockle Bay, Howick.
High Wind / Gust
at
Leigh
Leigh recorded a peak wind gust of 81 knots (150 km/hr) on the 14th, at 050 degrees true.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
Heavy rain and wind caused slips and flooding, closed roads and cut power in the Waikato and Thames Valley.
State Highway 25 on Coromandel Peninsula was closed for periods by both flooding and slips.
Tornado
About 50 poles were flattened by wind in the board's area after a tornado came from the north and swept through Ohinewai, Hikuai and Huntly on the 14th.
Flooding
Ohinewai-Tahuna Road was partly closed and was only open to one way traffic.
High Wind / Gust
On the Tirau-Rotorua Road a large tree crashed onto the road, reducing traffic to one way for more than three hours.
Landslide
There was a minor slip in the Stadia Creek area on the Kopu-Hikuai Road but it had to closed the road. There was a slip in the Turner's Hill area, south of Paeroa but it was soon cleared. There was a slip on Adams Road, Thornton Bay, which blocked the road for a short time.
High Wind / Gust
at
Amodeo Bay
One resident had the roof of his house blown off on the 14th.
Heavy Rain
at
Hamilton
Hamilton recorded 60.6 mm (6.06 cm) of rain from the morning of the 13th to the morning of the 16th.
Flooding
There was minor flooding between Hamilton and Cambridge.
The weather caused potholes on the roads.
There was no reports of flood damage to houses.
High Wind / Gust
A few trees were blown down.
High Wind / Gust
at
Huntly
About 100 ft of scaffolding and timberwork at the Huntly power house control block was rocked by the strong winds and had to be repaired. High winds also tore roofing iron from the project's stores building and tiles from six project houses. A towering pine was uprooted and fell across powerlines at the site.
High Wind / Gust
at
Matamata
Power lines and trees were brought down.
High Wind / Gust
at
Putaruru
The storm brought down several power lines.
Trees bought down by the strong winds blocked a number of roads in the areas around the town for several hours.
Flooding
at
Thames
There had been no major flooding or damage caused by the heavy rains within the Thames Borough.
The Kauaeranga River over-flowed its banks in the Parawai area, but did not cause flooding to the southern main highway out of Thames.
Tornado
at
Waerenga
A service station and a row of 12 power poles were flattened at Waerenga.
A garage and hayshed were demolished, several houses damaged, a row of 12 power poles and some telephone poles were smashed and scores of trees were flattened when a tornado ripped through Waerenga on the 14th.
The Waerenga Service Station was almost completely wrecked as the tornado ripped it apart and scattered wreckage 300 yards away.
One farmer had 48 trees flattened on his farm.
Taranaki
Flooding
at
Taranaki
Rail services between Hawera and Marton were suspended after a washout of the railway track between Waitotara and Waverley.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Travel plans for thousands of people wre disrupted because Wellington Airport was closed and Cook Strait sailings were cancelled.
West Coast
Landslide
at
West Coast
A large slip in the Buller Gorge blocked traffic.
Canterbury
Snow / Ice
at
Canterbury
Vehicles were restricted to one lane at Burke's Pass and Irishman Creek, west of Tekapo.
Snow / Ice
at
Burkes Pass
Snow at Burke's Pass was one foot (0.3 m) deep.
Snow / Ice
at
Irishman Creek
Snow at Irishman Creek was 14 in (0.35 m).
Otago
Landslide
at
Otago
In the Kawerau Gorge between Cromwell and Queenstown, a slip blocked the route.
References
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Meteorological Observations for 1973, Stations in New Zealand and Outlying Islands, Including the Cook Group.
- Headline: Roads Closed by Weekend Bad Weather.
- Thames Star, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Boy Swept Away In City Floods.
- The New Zealand Herald, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Storm Disruption Rife.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Storm leaves trail of damage with power poles flattened, roads blocked.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Waerenga Garage Hit By Tornado.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
June 1975 New Zealand Storm ( 1975-06-13 )
Storms hit the whole of New Zealand and caused mainly minor damage but brought some flooding. A North Shore schoolboy, aged 13, was swept to his death after he slipped into the swollen Wairau Creek on the 14th.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 3 days - Storms hit the whole of New Zealand from the 13th and 15th of June 1975 and caused mainly minor damage but brought some flooding.
There were slips and power cuts to several areas.
South Island
Snow / Ice
at
South Island
There were widespread snowfalls, causing disruption to traffic and life generally.
Some stock losses were reported but farmers brought their flocks down to lower ground.
A foot (0.3 m) of snow lay over Mackenzie Country and inland South Canterbury on the 15th.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Northland
Northland was hit by the storm on the 13th and 14th. There was widespread flooding, with washouts and slips in several areas.
The worst hit areas were Nguguru and Tutukaka where shops and houses and the two towns' hotels were flooded.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Auckland City
Heavy rain accompanied by fierce squalls hit Auckland on the night of the 13th and 14th. There was widespread flooding, with washouts and slips in several areas.
Auckland recorded 126 mm (12.6 cm) of rain from the 13th to the morning of the 15th.
Auckland recorded about 101 mm (10.1 cm) of rain on the 14th.
Flooding
A North Shore schoolboy, aged 13, was swept to his death after he slipped into the swollen Wairau Creek on the 14th.
Water was backed up in storm drains in many parts of Auckland and flooded streets and basements of houses.
In some low-lying areas was sewage backed up through toilets and waste pipes.
Auckland emergency services was swamped with calls for help and reports of flood damage. The Automobile Assoication received 680 calls for help on the 14the and 15th.
The power was off in Manurewa on the night of the 14th.
Clevedon Road was under a foot (0.3 m) of water for 100 yards (91 m).
High Wind / Gust
High winds damaged several houses in the Sherwood subdivision at Browns Bay. Gaping holes were torn in roofs.
Tornado
at
Howick
About eight houses were damaged by a tornado on the 14th. Residents spent whole day repairing their damaged roofs. The storm lifted tiles and roofing iron from homes in Cockle Bay, Howick.
High Wind / Gust
at
Leigh
Leigh recorded a peak wind gust of 81 knots (150 km/hr) on the 14th, at 050 degrees true.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
Heavy rain and wind caused slips and flooding, closed roads and cut power in the Waikato and Thames Valley.
State Highway 25 on Coromandel Peninsula was closed for periods by both flooding and slips.
Tornado
About 50 poles were flattened by wind in the board's area after a tornado came from the north and swept through Ohinewai, Hikuai and Huntly on the 14th.
Flooding
Ohinewai-Tahuna Road was partly closed and was only open to one way traffic.
High Wind / Gust
On the Tirau-Rotorua Road a large tree crashed onto the road, reducing traffic to one way for more than three hours.
Landslide
There was a minor slip in the Stadia Creek area on the Kopu-Hikuai Road but it had to closed the road. There was a slip in the Turner's Hill area, south of Paeroa but it was soon cleared. There was a slip on Adams Road, Thornton Bay, which blocked the road for a short time.
High Wind / Gust
at
Amodeo Bay
One resident had the roof of his house blown off on the 14th.
Heavy Rain
at
Hamilton
Hamilton recorded 60.6 mm (6.06 cm) of rain from the morning of the 13th to the morning of the 16th.
Flooding
There was minor flooding between Hamilton and Cambridge.
The weather caused potholes on the roads.
There was no reports of flood damage to houses.
High Wind / Gust
A few trees were blown down.
High Wind / Gust
at
Huntly
About 100 ft of scaffolding and timberwork at the Huntly power house control block was rocked by the strong winds and had to be repaired. High winds also tore roofing iron from the project's stores building and tiles from six project houses. A towering pine was uprooted and fell across powerlines at the site.
High Wind / Gust
at
Matamata
Power lines and trees were brought down.
High Wind / Gust
at
Putaruru
The storm brought down several power lines.
Trees bought down by the strong winds blocked a number of roads in the areas around the town for several hours.
Flooding
at
Thames
There had been no major flooding or damage caused by the heavy rains within the Thames Borough.
The Kauaeranga River over-flowed its banks in the Parawai area, but did not cause flooding to the southern main highway out of Thames.
Tornado
at
Waerenga
A service station and a row of 12 power poles were flattened at Waerenga.
A garage and hayshed were demolished, several houses damaged, a row of 12 power poles and some telephone poles were smashed and scores of trees were flattened when a tornado ripped through Waerenga on the 14th.
The Waerenga Service Station was almost completely wrecked as the tornado ripped it apart and scattered wreckage 300 yards away.
One farmer had 48 trees flattened on his farm.
Taranaki
Flooding
at
Taranaki
Rail services between Hawera and Marton were suspended after a washout of the railway track between Waitotara and Waverley.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Travel plans for thousands of people wre disrupted because Wellington Airport was closed and Cook Strait sailings were cancelled.
West Coast
Landslide
at
West Coast
A large slip in the Buller Gorge blocked traffic.
Canterbury
Snow / Ice
at
Canterbury
Vehicles were restricted to one lane at Burke's Pass and Irishman Creek, west of Tekapo.
Snow / Ice
at
Burkes Pass
Snow at Burke's Pass was one foot (0.3 m) deep.
Snow / Ice
at
Irishman Creek
Snow at Irishman Creek was 14 in (0.35 m).
Otago
Landslide
at
Otago
In the Kawerau Gorge between Cromwell and Queenstown, a slip blocked the route.
References
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Meteorological Observations for 1973, Stations in New Zealand and Outlying Islands, Including the Cook Group.
- Headline: Roads Closed by Weekend Bad Weather.
- Thames Star, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Boy Swept Away In City Floods.
- The New Zealand Herald, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Storm Disruption Rife.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Storm leaves trail of damage with power poles flattened, roads blocked.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.
- Headline: Waerenga Garage Hit By Tornado.
- Waikato Times, 16 June (Monday) 1975.