Heavy Rain Floods Towns as Cyclone Cook Travels South

Residents of the North Island town of Te Aroha were besieged by floodwaters on Thursday, April 13, as Cyclone Cook bore down on New Zealand.At least five properties were inundated as emergency crews worked to protect homes using sandbags, stuff.co.nz reported.The flooding worsened on Friday, as the Matamata-Piako District Council warned the Waihou River was at its highest level ever recorded.