HELENSVILLE ISOLATED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 306, 27 December 1926, Page 9

HELENSVILLE ISOLATED.

AIX TRAFFIC SUSPENDED. LARGE AREAS FLOODED. ROAD AM) RAILWAY SUBMERGED. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") HELENSVILLE, this day. I Heavy rain set in at Helensville on Saturday afternoon, and as darkness full there was a torrential downpour. Six o'clock on Sunday morning a heavy thunderstorm passed over the township, with vivid flashes of lighning and a reverberating roar at frequent intervals. The morning broke fairly fine, leaving vast areas of farm land flooded, while news came from north and south of similar conditions. Helensville escaped floodin" owing to the tide being low, but on wards Ahirangi great sheets of water had taken the place of low-lying land. It was reported by phone that the railway line between here and Swanson was deep under water for a considerable distance, and that there were three washouts that would take at least a day, and probably more, to repair to permit of through traffic to Auckland. Extensive areas at Rewhiti, Taupaki and Huapai were stated to be under water and the early morning train from the city was unable to get beyond Taupaki. Through Swirling Water. A "Star" representative drove through the flooded area this morning in a White Star service car from Helensville right up to Ahirangi station, which was as far as it was possible to go with safety and further than many other cars attempted to go. A sho"rt distance out of Helensville on the main road to Auckland they got into water. Thence onward the water was well over the running boards. The road was submerged feet deep and the water on each side was close up to the tops of fence posts, while great sheets of water spread out on both sides, madly swirling down to the river, which was thickly strewn with logs* branches of trees and miscellaneous debris.

On the road on the northern side of Ahirangi, surrounded by a badly flooded stretch of low-lying country, a private car was stuck up, water having entered some vital part, and other cars with less venturesome spectators were pulled up in safer territory.

Ahirangi railway station was surrounded by water and the railway line there was about four feet under water, while away on as far as the eye could see all level land was covered by a swirling torrent. It might have been possible to drive further, but there was every likelihood of one or perhaps two bridges having been washed away. The return trip was made under difficult conditions, as it was impossible to turn the car and it had to be "backed" for about half a mile through the flood water. Cars From the North. At least two cars got through from the north this morning, one from Whangarei and one from Dargaville, so that the conditions further north were apparently not so bad as at this end. One driver who reached Helensville at G a.m. from the north, with four chains on his wheels, stated that he passed twenty cars stuck up on the road, several o"f them having slipped over embankments, but no jribre serious results were reported.

The second car from the north, which came in about noon left Dargaville at 5 o'clock on Saturday morning. It was held up at three places and the water was frequently up to the lamps. ' This car contained a party bound for Auckland very anxious to complete the journey, and it was waiting this side of Ahirangi when the Star' car returned to Helensville. The flood water was then going down very rapidly, the sun was shining brightly, and there was every reason to believe that it would be safe to proceed further later in the day.