Jul 28th 2008 7:03am
NZPA Wgtn
Little Relief for Storm Victims as Another Blast Moves in
Wellington, July 28 NZPA - There may be little relief for North Island residents battered by the weekend storm in which four people died, thousands of homes were left without power, and roads were closed, as forecasters warn of another blast on the way.
The northern end of the country was hardest hit by the deep depression, which forecasters described as the worst in 10 years.
At the height of the mayhem on Saturday night, about 70,000 households were without power in Northland and Auckland and parts of Waikato.
Up to 7000 homes in the Far North, Northland and the Coromandel are still without power today.
'Extensive damage' to the pilot wire system meant that 1000 residents of Auckland's North Shore were without hot water for their morning shower today.
Meanwhile, the deaths of three people over the weekend were being treated as fatalities of the storm.
Searchers recovered the body of canoeist James Moore from Matakana Island in Tauranga Harbour yesterday after he earlier set off in severe conditions from Maketu in an outrigger canoe.
One of his companions had turned back and the other two made it safely to Mt Maunganui, police said.
Further east at Opotiki, two men on board the fishing vessel San Cuvier died after the boat grounded in heavy seas early yesterday morning several kilometres east of the town.
The 18m Sanford vessel had four people on board.
The company said the crew abandoned the vessel when it got into difficulties and launched a life raft, but only two managed to make it to safety.
Authorities were determining how to refloat the vessel, which was carrying thousands of litres of diesel.
It is possible a 38-year-old man who died in a house fire in the Waikato township of Meremere about 3am yesterday will yet be counted as another storm victim.
It is believed the fire started from a candle he was using in the bedroom during a power outage caused by high winds.
His 12-year-old daughter was pulled out of the house by firefighters and was taken to Auckland Middlemore Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
The girl's mother and two other children, both under three, escaped the blaze unhurt.
MetService said today there would be little time to regroup after the weekend's wild weather, as another system bears down on the country.
A depression was approaching from the north Tasman Sea and was expected to bring heavy rain and severe gales to most of the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
Credit:NZPA