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Wild Auckland weather leaves luxury homes on brink of collapse: 'Terrifying'

New Zealand's North Island continues to be hit by destructive weather with luxury homes ruined by landslides.

Auckland continues to be lashed by destructive weather for a fourth day with photos and video showing the devastating impact heavy rain has had on homes and communities across the city.

New Zealand's death toll rose to four on Sunday as flash floods and landslides tore through the north island. Friday saw Auckland's heaviest daily rainfall with 245mm recorded at Auckland airport, smashing the previous record by more than 80mm.

One TikTok user, who publishes under the name @warriorlifstyle, shared a video of a luxury home in the North Shore region of Auckland. The property — which he estimates to be worth $5 million — was on the verge of collapse and positioned on the edge of a cliff that has been washed away by the rain.

Luxury homes on New Zealand's coastline are on the verge of collapse after torrential rain washes away the land. Source: TikTok/warriorlifestyletiktok
Luxury homes on New Zealand's coastline are on the verge of collapse after torrential rain washes away the land. Source: TikTok/warriorlifestyletiktok

"Look at this absolute chaos," the TikTok user said in the video, passing the home on a boat. "That house is right on the edge there. I mean, there’s nothing there. It’s almost gone."

NZ residents rescued from destroyed homes

Fire and Emergency services reportedly rescued five people from properties hit by landslides, or who'd become trapped by floodwater in Titirangi, West Auckland, on Sunday. A landslide caused a carport and vehicle to fall onto a property below where at least one person was at the time, The New Zealand Herald reported.

Children were seen emerging from rubble screaming and covered in mud, witnesses said. Residents described the events as "terrifying" and "awful".

According to local reports, at least 30 homes across the area have been 'red-ticketed' meaning they're considered unsafe to enter. A further 131 properties have restricted access to parts of a building.

Police said on Sunday they were assisting with traffic management and road closures in Waitomo District, further south, after heavy rainfall "caused numerous slips, flooding and damage to roads". In the nearby Bay of Plenty there was also "widespread flooding", police said. A landslide in the area knocked down a house and was threatening neighbouring properties. Thousands of properties remained without power, while hundreds were without water, authorities said.

On Saturday, shoppers were seen wading through knee-high water in a Glenfield supermarket while Auckland Airport, New Zealand's busiest airport, was brought to a standstill swamped in rainwater.

A damaged property in Remuera, Auckland where a man was found dead after a landslide on Sunday.
A damaged property in Remuera, Auckland where a man was found dead after a landslide hit on Sunday. Source: Getty

Intense rainfall to continue

Auckland, New Zealand's largest city with 1.6 million people, remained under a state of emergency overnight with intense rainfall expected to continue on Monday, the nation's weather forecaster, MetService, warned. The emergency covers large swathes of the north island, with Waitomo District about 220 kilometres from Auckland, declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, flew by helicopter over Auckland on Saturday and toured flood-hit homes. He described the flood impact in the city as "unprecedented" in recent memory.

"The most horrific part of it is that we've lost lives," Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni said in Auckland over the weekend.

Several houses are nearing collapse as Auckland continues to experience severe rainfall causing landslides. Source: Getty
Several houses are nearing collapse as Auckland continues to experience severe rainfall causing landslides. Source: Getty

with Reuters

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