As a lifelong Aucklander who has chased and documented countless storms and floods in this city, I can unequivocally say I have never experienced anything as severe as the Auckland Anniversary Floods of 2023.
The day began along Tamaki Drive, where the high tide and strong winds were already a problem. Waves were aggressively smashing right over the seawall, causing some initial flooding on the road. From there, reports of significant inundation pulled me to Remuera, a familiar flood zone. The stream near Portland Road had completely overflowed its banks, swamping both the streets and nearby houses. Abandoned cars were already starting to float, and I had to help rescue a man whose small scooter had quickly broken down trying to pass through.
Then I checked the rain radar. I was genuinely shocked—a massive, slow-moving wall of blue and red, indicative of extreme, unprecedented rainfall, was tracking straight toward central Auckland. My surprise was compounded by the fact that MetService had only issued a Yellow Watch at the time.. It seemed absolutely insufficient for the cataclysm that was about to strike. Reports of severe flooding soon poured in from every corner of the city. Auckland Airport had shut down, with metre-high water inside the international terminal. Motorways had turned into raging torrents, swallowing vehicles, and, tragically, people were dying.
Rushing into the CBD, I only made it as far as Parnell before the road became utterly impassable. There was an absolute lack of official control – no police, no cones – just absolute chaos. I had no choice but to enter the muddy, swirling water, which quickly rose to a depth that required me to basically swim just to make progress. The Strand was submerged under an estimated one to two metres of water, with abandoned cars floating everywhere like toys. I had to stop to help rescue several people. Shops were completely flooded, alarms were blaring. The entire scene felt truly apocalyptic.
As I took photos and video that made headlines around the country, the rain finally stopped. It was at this time my phone buzzed and MetService had finally issued a RED Alert. Wow. Complete incompetence.
