Children rescued from school bus as floodwaters rose in Waiwera, North Auckland

The speed of flooding in a north Auckland community left young children stranded on a school bus, needing to be rescued by locals.

Children from Wainui School became trapped on a road in Waiwera on Friday afternoon after heavy rain caused the river to flood across the road.

Rodney Local Board member Ivan Wagstaff said the area had been hit hard by flooding during the Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle which caused a slip into the river.

“Subsequent weather has made it worse,” Wagstaff said. “Silt, logs and trees have clogged up the river, leaving the water with nowhere to go.”

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“So on Friday, the road flooded so fast the bus became stuck and houses flooded again. The community are desperate to clear the trees to stop it.”

When the school bus became stuck, Wagstaff said, neighbours jumped in and helped get everyone out.

“It was an extremely concerning incident for parents as they were stuck on the other side and phone coverage in the valley was down meaning they couldn’t get in touch with their children.

“Luckily everyone was OK, and neighbours helped the children get to higher ground and back home safely.”

Wagstaff said the river needed to be cleared “immediately” and a healthy waters’ manager from Auckland Council was onsite today to look at the river.

Even on Sunday night, homes on Upper Waiwera Rd had been flooded again, Wagstaff said, so the situation needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Mangawhai and Kaiwaka – just north of the Auckland border – were also hit by the “intense” downpours on Friday evening, causing surface flooding and slips.

A rain gauge near Mangawhai reported 349mm of rain in the 12 hours to 8pm, resulting in extensive flooding and evacuations.

There were 12 incidents where people needed rescuing from flood water, most of whom were in their vehicles. This included a group of people driving in Dairy Flat, who had to be rescued from their cars by boats.