Campers were returning to Waihi yesterday after wild weather forced the evacuation of about 150 campers from the popular holiday spot on Christmas Eve.
The heavy rain had already swamped much of Waihi Beach before authorities warned of further flooding and potential road closures on Monday afternoon.
More than 100mm of rain fell on Waihi Beach overnight on Christmas Eve, with surrounding areas recording as much as 130mm north of Waihi Beach and 70mm in the south since Sunday afternoon to Monday morning.
Campers at Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Resort were evacuated about 3am after the river breached its banks in several places. Read more here. Many campers packed up and headed home after the heavy downpours on Christmas Eve.
However, receptionist Megan Smith said some of the campers had returned on Christmas Day after waking up to fine weather.
"Then there was water in the tent. I came out and there was a lady saying 'it's flooding down there' ... we decided we will take all of our belongings out and put everything on the bed, then we ended up sitting on the porch and saw all the action happen. It actually flooded up quick."
Waihi Beach resident Sheila Washington works to keep Poppy the dog dry from floodwaters. Photo / George Novak
Waihi Beach resident Sheila Washington said floodwaters reached "just over the knee" on Monday morning when she went to move her car to higher ground.
Washington said she felt bad for holidaymakers in tents because "there are a few here, flooded out".
Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Resort owner Ian Smith said the river had breached its banks in several places and was "rising rapidly" when he went to survey the area early in the morning.
Smith, former fire chief of Waihi Beach fire brigade, said the decision to evacuate people "was about managing risk, to act sooner rather than later".
Campers were told to pack up their blankets and head to the local RSA, which hosted the evacuees for the night.
Floodwaters in some areas of Waihi Beach were knee-deep, Smith said.
Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times about 7.15am on Monday, Smith said he was grateful no one was hurt but was saddened some people's holidays had been ruined.
"I just saw a lady now packing her Christmas presents back into the car. They just wanted to have a beach Christmas for once but are heading back now.
"A lot of people were hoping to spend Christmas Day here and had their plans thwarted. That's a shame."
MetService issued a severe weather warning for Northland, Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, and Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay. And the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research dubbed the wet-weather system responsible for a tropical "firehose" of moisture.
However, the watch was lifted on Christmas Day.
MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said 70mm of rain fell in Tauranga overnight on December 24 and 56mm of rainfall was recorded in Rotorua.
He said the weather was set to start to fine up heading into Boxing Day.
Flooding and slips closed some state highways on Christmas Day, including a large slip which blocked State Highway 2 in Matata to SH33 in Paengaroa - about a kilometre west of Murphy's Motor Camp.
A Northern Fire Communications spokesman said there were no flooding related calls overnight in the Bay of Plenty on Christmas Eve.
However, a police media communications spokeswoman said police were called to several weather-related calls throughout the region overnight on Christmas Eve, including downed trees that blocked roads in Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne.
Additional reporting - Zoe Hunter
Boxing Day weather
Fine apart from morning cloud and a chance of afternoon showers. Southwesterly breezes. High of 28C.
