Todd Vallender checks out the damage left behind after floodwater overwhelmed a bridge at his Athenree holiday park.
Up to 30 residents living at a Western Bay of Plenty holiday park were trapped by raging floodwaters so swollen emergency services were unable to reach them.
A deluge of rain on Sunday afternoon burst the banks of the Waiau River at the Athenree Lavender Holiday Park. It ballooned from its usual width of about 8m to about 40m. The river overwhelmed a concrete bridge and metal guard rails, the only exit for residents and campers in and out of the grounds.
Owner Todd Vallender said the river rose rapidly but subsided just as quickly and no one was hurt.
"I've been here 16 years and have only seen the river like that once, and that's because a tree got stuck under the bridge and we had to move it."
The force of the water ripped a river warning sign from its post and toppled the bridge's guard rails.
As Vallender and residents cleaned up yesterday, bushes and reeds ripped from their roots showed the path the flooded river took and a tide line was still visible on a nearby hill, several metres above the river's banks.
During the storm, Vallender was unable to cross the bridge but was on the phone to a resident on the other side who was monitoring the river and calming people in the park.
The resident, who would not be named, said the water was gushing over the top of the bridge's guardrails, which had accumulated debris.
"It looked spectacular."
Mayor View fire chief Peter Harwoodsaid they were busy with weather-related call-outs, including the flooding at the holiday park.
"The river came up to a point where people couldn't get in or out. We couldn't make it in there in the end but thankfully it came up to the edge of the [top] bank and receded again."
Athenree Lavender Holiday Park owner Todd Vallender retrieves a warning sign that was washed downstream during the flood. Photo / George Novak
In the 48 hours up to 4.30pm yesterdaya total of 103mm of rain was recorded at Tauranga Airport, and 152mm at Katikati.
Emergency services were called to flooded properties throughout the Western Bay including Waihi Beach, Tanner's Point, Te Puke and Papamoa.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council received 60 calls to its call centre by 4.30pm yesterday.Tauranga City Council duty crisis management co-ordinator David Jensen said the council received 49 weather-related calls on Sunday, including four requests for sandbags.
Flooding eased around the city yesterdaybut some roads such as part of Grenada St and Stevenson St remained closed.
Jensen said extreme inflows of water from the storm caused two wastewater overflows, one at the Chapel St treatment plant and one at the Opal Drive pumping station in Papamoa.
"These overflows may have affected the harbour, Waikareao Estuary and Wairakei Stream. Warning signage is being put in place – please follow the signs and avoid contact with floodwaters."
The monster storm also sparked a temporary power outage for 4059 properties in Matua on Sunday.
Metservice meteorologist Claire Flynn said the Bay of Plenty remained under a severe weather watch until 10am today and by midday most of the rain should have moved on.
Flooded streets
- Charles St - Victory St - Seventeenth Ave - Caldera Close - Westridge Drive - Oropi Rd by the rugby club - Cliff Rd - Taylor Rd - Sylvania Drive - Carysfort St - Huia St - Seaview Rd - Percy Rd - The Boulevard - Stevenson Place - Burmuda Drive - Pacific Cove - Grenada St - Taiama St - Dalton Drive - Marion Cres - Farm St - Leander St - Beach Rd - Longview Rd - Fairview Rd - Lakes Boulevard - Marjorie Lane - Blake Boulevard
Road closures affected:
- Grenada St - Dickson Rd - Intersection of Domain Rd and Parton Rd - Papamoa Beach Rd by 868 - Parton Rd to Westhill Lane - Stevenson Drive
