<p>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.</p><p>At least five properties were inundated as emergency crews worked to protect homes using sandbags, stuff.co.nz</a> reported.</p><p>The flooding worsened on Friday</a>, as the Matamata-Piako District Council warned the Waihou River was at its highest level ever recorded.</p><br />
