Locals in Te Araroa, north of Gisborne, fled for their lives as what's proved to be a deadly storm ripped across the North Island.
The Gisborne District Council said communities around Te Araroa, Onepoto, and Wharekahika have been the worst hit, with the intense deluge that began on Wednesday evening necessitating evacuations.
It said more than 60 people remained in welfare centres and marae on Thursday afternoon, and more than 250 homes were bracing to be without power overnight.
Sections of State Highway 35 have begun to reopen, but coastal communities between PΕtaka near Hick's Bay and Tikitiki remain cut off where the road has been damaged by widespread flooding and slips.
The closure leaves Tairawhiti with limited options for travelling north, forcing peopl
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