Cyclone causes one death in North Island

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 1

Cyclone causes one death in North Island

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, March 11.

Cyclone Alison battered North Auckland, Auckland, and the Waikato today causing the death of a child, smashing a $15,000 launch and sinking another, blowing down trees, breaking power and telephone lines, and tearing iron from the roof of a Kaikohe building.

The child, a girl aged four, died when she touched a live power wire blown down in Huntly tonight. She touched the wire after it dropped into the back yard of her home about 5 p.m.

The wire was brought down by the tail of the cyclone Alison as the storm swept across the Waikato.

The girl killed was Paula Hine Tahakura, of Rotowaro, near Huntly.

Roads were blocked by fallen trees in many areas. In Auckland, the 38ft launch Te Kowhai was smashed against the sea wall in Okahu Bay. The owner, Mr L. Haynes, of Epsom, arrived at the boat harbour about five minutes too late to save the launch, valued about $15,000.

Witnesses said the mooring chain on the craft was broken, and it took only about 10 seconds for the boat to be blown on to the wall. A 38ft sloop, also moored at Northcote, was tom free and driven aground, where she promptly sank. One fuel tanker, the Hamilton, spent the night sheltering behind Great Barrier Island, and is expected to make a run for Marsden Point this morning. Winds of 55 knots disrupted work on the waterfront, and scores of Auckland motorists were stranded when the heavy rain caused car-ignition faults.

In North Auckland gusts to 100 miles an hour were recorded — one of them blowing over a caravan and toppling it end over end until it came to rest against a lavatory. Mangonui township was without power for hours this morning, and Kaitaia lost its power for about half an hour. As the cyclone moved south down the west coast the north-easterly gale ripped out trees, power and telephone lines, and knocked down fences. At Kaikohe it blew sheets of roofing iron from a post office depot. Tonight, the cyclone was centred about 180 miles north-west of Auckland, and was moving at about 12 knots towards the Taranaki Bight. The centre of the cyclone would hit the Taranaki Bight some time tomorrow morning, said a Weather Office spokesman.