George Gee spends almost every weekend at his holiday home in on a low-lying part of Ōakura Road.

That same settlement was among the hardest hit by the Northland floods, which have isolated communities, destroyed homes and left some with nothing.

"It was about 4am this morning, and it was heavy, heavy, heavy rain, thunder and lightning as well," Gee said. "Then we got up and we just saw all the water coming down - it just kept rising, rising, rising.

"We were standing on my deck and next thing, all the water started bubbling up through the deck, Then we look in the kitchen, and the kitchen was full of water and it was just everywhere."

The water was about 10

πŸ“°

Continue Reading on RNZ

This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.

Read Full Article β†’