Lightning and strong winds cause power cuts

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 32, 29 January 1985, Page 2

Lightning and strong winds cause power cuts

Lightning and a Macrocarpa tree were two of the reasons behind a number of power cuts in the Ohakune area this week. The lightning strikes occured in Railway Road and Upper Thames Street at about 8.00pm on Monday evening, blowing fuses on transformers. However, staff from the King Country Electric Power Board quickly had the problem rectified. On Tuesday a tree branch fell across a 1 1,000 volt line in Ruapehu Street, tripping the whole of the supply from the N.Z.E.D. on Raetihi Road to Tangiwai. But by diverting the supply of power through other lines the power board was able to quickly get the power supply back on for most consumers, with only a relatively small number of properties, between the Turoa Alpine Village and the Ohutu Grazing Company property, being without power for several hours until the broken lines were repaired. Also on Tuesday the continuing high wirids

caused the branches of a Macrocarpa tree on Rangataua Road to trip out the. power supply again. The s tree was limbed and the power supply quickly restored. M.S.D. Speirs at Tangiwai lost its electricity supply for a short time on Tuesday due to the problems, but the Winstone Samsung pulp mill was unaffected. On Tuesday night an insulator failure caused

, another short loss of power for part of the town and the same Macrocarpa tree which had caused a trip-out on Rangataua Road earlier in the day was again causing trouble. The tree had been limbed, but on Tuesday night the whole tree began to lean over and it again touched the power lines and broke the supply. This time the tree Was removed before the power

lines were re-connected. A series of fuses in the town's supply blew on Wednesday morning, but the problem was quickly solved. And with the high winds having dropped considerably it appeared the busy period for the power board was over. A Board spokesman said the problems on Monday and Tuesday had been the worst they had had to deal with for several years.