Drivers warned to slow down due to flooding and slips

Heavy rain continued to pound the top half the North Island today with several highways under water in the Bay of Plenty and East Cape.

Police northern communications inspector Ian Brooker said surface flooding remained on the roads throughout the upper North Island.

"General advice to the travelling public is to reduce speeds, take extra care and as always be prepared to stop within half the visible distance of road available," he said.

Police fielded 15 reports overnight of slips and flooding restricting traffic flow throughout the road network.

All reports had been referred to local authorities and are being prioritised, sign-posted and cleared as quickly as possible, Mr Brooker said.

Road closures:

* State Highway 35 between Waihau Bay and Hicks Bay on the East Cape due to flooding. No alternative route was available.

* A slip and fallen power lines caused the closure of SH36 at Pyes Pa Road, north of Tauranga, last night and a diversion was put in place.

* At 1am today another section of SH35, between Hicks bay and Tikitiki was closed due to a slip, with no alternative route.

* North of Rotorua a landslip closed the road at 1.26am today between Junction SH2 and SH33, and SH30 and SH33. A diversion is in place.

Road contractors are also being kept busy clearing debris from roads in Northland, Waikato, and the Coromandel Peninsula.

Environment Bay of Plenty said today that its staff spent the night on alert as heavy rain lashed the coastal areas of the region, causing considerable surface flooding in the lower Kaituna area and the Rangitikei Plains.

Flood manager Peter Blackwood said the regional council issued flood warnings to farmers and local authorities late yesterday.

"We are continuing to keep an eye on the situation but the rain has now stopped and the short-term outlook is for fine weather."

Mr Blackwood said that as at 8am today all rivers were receding except for the Whakatane River.

- NZPA