Key Points
- A state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand's biggest city.
- Large parts of Auckland is under water.
- Emergency officials warn conditions are expected to worsen.
Torrential rain in Auckland left three people dead, police confirmed Saturday, following widespread flooding across New Zealand's largest city.
The bodies of two men were found in floodwaters in two separate incidents in a northern suburb, police said.
Another body was found at property damaged by a landslide in the city centre.
"My thoughts are with everyone in Auckland as they wake up this morning to survey the damage and as they face an uncertain day ahead," new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement.
January 27 was Auckland's wettest day on record, according to MetService. Source: Getty / Lynn Grieveson
The flash flooding turned many of Auckland's roads into rivers on Friday, and the wild weather closed the city's airport, which is the country's largest, with ankle-deep water in some terminals.
Airport authorities said there would be no flights in or out of the facility before mid-day Saturday.
Images on social media showed the check-in area in the International Terminal knee-deep in flood water.
MetService confirmed 27 January was Auckland’s wettest day on record. Source: Getty / Lynn Grieveson
Major roads were also blocked by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways.
'Working flat out'
Hipkins, who was sworn in Wednesday after Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation, wrote on Twitter that government agencies were "working flat out" to help.
His plans to visit the city were delayed because of the poor conditions, he said, adding: "I'm advised movement around Auckland remains difficult."
Hipkins said the national crisis management centre, housed under the parliament building in the capital Wellington, was helping to coordinate the emergency response.
The persistent downpour washed out Elton John's concert on Friday at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium amid concerns for crowd safety.
"Given the weather, tonight's show has been cancelled. Our operations team is working to redirect special event buses to help get people back home," Auckland Transport said in a .
The agency advised residents in flood-prone areas to prepare to evacuate and opened an evacuation centre in West Auckland.
Emergency services were swamped by calls for help.
Auckland residents have been urged to only contact emergency services if facing "life-threatening" danger.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown warned late Friday that the clean-up operation would be a "major, major job".
