By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep clear of standing water near a downed line, and call 111 first. A branch on a line through the Kerikeri orchards or along the Paihia road can leave a live conductor hidden in foliage, so treat any low line as live.
Help your neighbours
Live community map & report a power cut
If neighbours around the bay are also without power, the fault is on the network, not your switchboard. The map below shows outages reported by other Selectra readers across New Zealand in real time. Use it as a first diagnostic before you call: if an active outage is already plotted near Kerikeri, Paihia or Kaikohe, crews likely know about it. A short anonymous report helps others see what is happening in the Bay of Islands. It does not replace the call to Top Energy.
Immediate danger
Fallen power line, sparks, burning smell or smoke? Call 111 before reporting anything else. Stay back at least 8 metres from any downed line.
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Report a power cut
Thanks: your report is recorded
Now make the official call to your lines company so a crew is dispatched. For a fallen line or any hazard, dial 111 first.
Who fixes the fault
Your lines company and its 24/7 fault line
Only the lines company that owns the poles and wires in your street can dispatch a crew. Call the number below if your report shows the outage is on the network.
TE
Top Energy
The Bay of Islands, one lines company
24/7 faults line. Top Energy runs the whole Far North network, so the same number works in Kerikeri, Paihia, Kaikohe and Kawakawa alike.
Coverage: Kerikeri, Paihia, Russell, Waitangi, Haruru, Kaikohe, Kawakawa, Moerewa, Okaihau, Ohaeawai, Waipapa and the wider Bay of Islands.
Why the Bay of Islands loses power
The geography behind a Kerikeri outage
The Bay of Islands mixes growing townships with orchards, bush and a deeply indented coastline. That combination shapes where and why the power goes out around Kerikeri.
Trees and orchards
Lines run past mature shelter belts, native bush and orchard rows from Kerikeri out to Waipapa and Okaihau. In wind, branches and whole trees come down on the conductors, which is the most common cause of a local fault.
Northern weather first
Sub-tropical lows and ex-cyclones from the north reach the Bay of Islands early. Paihia, Russell and the exposed coastal settlements can see strong gusts that bring branches down before the system has even reached Auckland.
Holiday-season peaks
The bay's population swells over summer, so demand and the chance of a localised fault rise with the crowds at Paihia and Russell. The network is the same year round, so a busy peak weekend is a good time to have a backup plan ready.
Bay of Islands tip
If you run a holiday rental or hospitality business around Paihia or Kerikeri, keep a printed copy of 0800 867 363 and the outage-map link by the door. Guests can report and check the status themselves without needing your help during a busy weekend.
Appliance damage after a Bay of Islands outage: what to do
Top Energy does not run a consumer damage-claim portal, so a surge that takes out an appliance in Kerikeri or Paihia is handled the standard New Zealand way: through your own contents insurance, with a written request to your retailer.
- 1Call 0800 867 363 and ask Top Energy for the outage reference. Note the date, the time and how long you were off.
- 2Photograph the damaged appliance, gather any receipts, and ask a registered electrician to confirm in writing that a surge or interruption was the cause.
- 3Lodge the claim with your contents insurer and, in parallel, send a written request to your electricity retailer describing the network fault.
- 4Allow 4 to 8 weeks for a response. Appliances under 5 years old with proof of purchase fare best. Pure storm damage is usually treated as weather rather than negligence.
Bay of Islands-specific questions
Frequently asked questions: Kerikeri outages
Top Energy, 24 hours a day, on 0800 867 363. The same number covers Kerikeri, Paihia, Kaikohe, Kawakawa and the rest of the Far North district. For a fallen line or any hazard, dial 111 first.
Check the live community map above for reports near you, then confirm on the Top Energy outage map, which plots active and planned outages across the Bay of Islands. If your neighbours are off too, it is a network fault and Top Energy is the right number.
The Bay of Islands network runs overhead lines past orchards, shelter belts and native bush from Kerikeri out to Okaihau, Waipapa and Russell. In strong wind, branches and whole trees fall onto the conductors, which is the single most common cause of a fault here. Top Energy clears the line and patrols it before re-energising, which takes time.
A simple fault in town can be back within an hour or two once crews locate it. A storm that brings trees down across several feeders, or a fault out in a rural part of the bay, can take longer because crews must travel, make the line safe and clear debris. Plan for a few hours during severe weather and keep torches and a power bank ready.
Yes. Top Energy gives advance notice of planned maintenance, usually by letter, text or email, and lists the work on its outage map under planned outages. If anyone in the household depends on mains power for medical equipment, register as a medically dependent consumer with your retailer to receive proactive notice.
Top Energy does not offer a consumer claim portal, and storm damage is usually treated as a weather event rather than network negligence. Your realistic path is a claim through your contents insurance, backed by a registered electrician's report, plus a written notice to your retailer. Newer appliances with receipts have the best chance of a payout.
Nearby outage guides
Power outages across Northland
Same storm front, different lines company. If the cut reaches a neighbouring town, here is the right 24/7 fault line and live map for the rest of Northland.
See the regional hub: Northland power outages, or browse every New Zealand region.