Maketu Coastguard vessel needed rescuing yesterday

The Maketu Eastpack Rescue boat became stranded after the road to the jetty was flooded yesterday. Photo/ Supplied

There were lots of flooding-related callouts in Maketu yesterday, and not even the local Eastpack Rescue boat was safe.

The rescue vessel became stranded after the road to the jetty was flooded.

Maketu Coastguard president Shane Beech said the combination of the king tide, heavy rain and large seas swells meant an unusually large high tide.

The high tide was 1.5m higher than normal.

The Eastpack Rescue boat was still moored at the jetty on the river but the road to the jetty was under water, he said.

"One of our team was able to swim out to the boat and bring it closer to shore," he said.

Beech said Maketu emergency services staff responded to "lots" of flooding-related incidents over the past 24 hours, most were in low-lying coastal parts of the township.

That included needing to build up the stopbanks with sand bags and extra metal along the estuary at the southern end of Maketu Rd due incredibly large breaker waves.

Up to eight houses in Maketu Rd at the entrance to the township were flooded yesterday, with the water reaching up to people's knees in some places, Beech said.

Affected residents evacuated until the water receded, but they only had to go a short distance to reach dry land, he said.

Beech said a number of trees came down yesterday including in Little Waihi Rd and Wilson Rd blocking several roads for a time.

Most of Maketu was without power yesterday, and a couple of power lines came down.

That included at one property where the lines connection from the house to power pole broke off, he said.

Beach said fortunately the high winds died down by about 10pm last night and this morning residents woke to a reasonably clear day.