"No ordinary storm" hits New Zealand (Roundup)

Jul 26, 2008, 6:41 GMT

Wellington - What weather forecasters warned would be 'no ordinary storm' blasted New Zealand on Saturday, bringing down power lines, toppling trees and ripping roofs from houses with gale force winds and torrential rains.

Winds gusting to 165 kilometres an hour were recorded at Cape Brett in the Bay of Islands and news reports said that power supplies to at least 65,000 homes had been cut and it was too dangerous for linemen to fix them.

The storm blasted the most populated part of the country and forecasters predicted it would spread right down the 1,100-kilometre long North Island to the capital Wellington and last 24 hours.

Officials warned people to leave the centre of Whangarei, the Northland region's biggest city with a population of about 50,000, as floodwaters swollen by high tides threatened.

As the storm moved south towards New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland - where more than 1 million people live - the MetService warned it was 'potentially destructive and dangerous' and could be the worst to hit the country for a decade.

Officials closed the landmark Sky Tower, which has a casino and skyscraper restaurants, saying its natural swaying was too uncomfortable for visitors.

The Coastguard told boat owners in the so-called City of Sails that if they had not already checked their moorings it was too late to do so and they should not risk their lives by venturing out.

Civil defence staff were placed on alert throughout the region and people in the upper half of the North Island were advised to stay indoors.

The storm hit ski fields on Mount Ruapheu, at 2,797 metres the island's biggest mountain, and Radio New Zealand reported that up to 10,000 skiers were being evacuated from the slopes.