Aucklanders have been waiting for the skies to open in a city that hasn't felt this ghostly since lockdown, writes Matthew Scott
There’s a pregnant pause over the city as central Auckland waits to be hit by Cyclone Gabrielle.
With many working from home as high winds begin to batter the city, downtown hasn't felt this ghostly since lockdown.
For those walking the streets or serving the last few coffees of the day, there’s a slight static charge of electricity in the embattled air - the heavens are set to open at some point this afternoon, and in the words of the city's Mayor Wayne Brown, it will be a difficult next 24 hours for the city.
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At a briefing this afternoon, Brown called on Auckland to remain calm and took two questions from media before heading off to a meeting of drainage engineers.
Auckland has already been hit by heavy winds, with 12000 homes in the area without power. Across the broader upper North Island, more than 46000 are without - including 24000 in Northland.
Vector’s Peter Ryan said it was difficult to say when people could expect the lights to come back on, especially in rural areas, but said his teams would be in touch.
"Saturated soils are leading to trees coming down easily in high winds," he said.
Teams in the field are also facing harsh conditions.
There have been just under 200 incident calls from the severe weather across the upper North Island in the past day, 91 of them in Auckland.
Most of these related to wind damage like roofs blowing off or trees downed, but calls related to surface flooding are on the rise.
And they may soon be even more frequent, as heavy rainfall is expected to arrive in Auckland sometime in the early evening.
MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths gave an update on the state of Gabrielle.
“She looks quite beautiful on the satellite pictures, but she packs a punch,” she said.
Today's steady rain in the city would act as a precursor for the heavier rainfall predicted this evening, leaving the ground "nice and soggy".
Griffiths said Auckland could expect the heavy rain to occur mostly between 3pm Monday and 3am Tuesday, but strong winds would likely continue for Auckland until midnight tomorrow.
She also pointed out the 2am high tide, which could bring with it dangerous storm surges.
Waves of between five and eight metres have already been recorded off the northeast coast of the region.
Meanwhile, out in the Gulf, the effects of Gabrielle were felt earlier than the central city.
Areas like Aotea Great Barrier Island are already feeling those winds, with 130km/hr gusts recorded overnight.
New Zealand Defence Force colonel Mel Childs said around 150 military personnel were positioned and ready to respond over the area.
Ten of these will be stationed as liason officers at different civil defence centres in the city, such as the one in downtown Auckland, where council staff and volunteers were busily preparing things at the Ellen Melville Centre in Freyberg Place.
It's one of 27 across the city, set up for people forced to flee their homes should the waters rise anew.
As the rains began, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins held a post-cabinet conference in downtown Auckland.
Having been in Auckland since Saturday, the Prime Minister found himself unable to leave the city.
He said the advice he had been given suggested "things are likely to get worse before they get better".
"We're seeing the impact of the cyclone across the North Island," he said.
Hipkins took the chance to unveil a funding package aimed at NGOs and community groups to help them meet demand during the aftermath of the weather events.
"Many people just haven't been able to catch a break. The need in the community is signficant and the effect of the repeated weather events has compounded that," he said. "Our social service agencies are stretched to capacity."
The package amounts to $11.5 million ring-fenced to food banks and community providers.
Groups like this have supported over 25000 people during the chaos of the last few weeks. The funding bump is hoped to allow them to keep doing that work.
Around the corner on Fort Street, a sports bar was pumping, with the Eagles versus Chiefs Super Bowl game unable to drown out the entwined gaggle of dozens of exalted American accents.
But once the party clears, it seems these streets will empty in anticipation of another long night of watching the waters rise - much too soon after the last time.
