Power has been fully restored to eastern Auckland after properties were cut off this evening.
Lines company Vector said electricity was cut to about 20,000 homes and businesses in Auckland's eastern suburbs, with the worst affected areas being Orakei and Saint Heliers, at about 5.30pm.
It said weather had possibly caused a fault at its St John substation and it was not caused by a fire as some media had reported.
Torrential rain had been falling in the region.
A power cut north of Auckland caused big delays for drivers returning to the city after the long holiday weekend today, while traffic on other New Zealand roads was also heavy.
Transpower and Vector have appointed a three person panel for a technical investigation into why 85,000 homes and businesses lost power in Auckland this week.
The lawyer who headed a probe into a previous Auckland power blackout says an inquiry into the most recent cut needs to look at reliability across the entire Auckland network.
Electricity has been restored to all homes and businesses in Auckland, two-and-a-half days after a power cut hit 85,000 properties, lines company Vector says. Audio
Power should be restored to all Aucklanders by 7am tomorrow, bringing an end to two days without power for thousands of people, lines company Vector says. Audio
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