Flooding forces road closure in Bay of Plenty

Flood-hit Matata in the eastern Bay of Plenty was struck by further bad weather today, with State Highway 2 closed and two drivers needing to be rescued from their trucks.

The highway was closed just north of the township early today because of heavy rain, was reopened briefly and was then closed again because of surface flooding.

Police said they were not certain when it would be reopened and motorists were asked to avoid the area.

Detours were in place, with south-bound traffic from Tauranga was being diverted at Te Puke via Rotorua.

Constable Wayne Secker said one truck driver was rescued from his truck in waist-deep water underneath the railway underpass at Matata.

Attempts were in progress to rescue another driver in another vehicle behind the first.

"They was stuck in fast flowing water and didn't want to get out," he said.

"We used a bulldozer and fire brigade rescue team and we got the first driver out. There's another truck behind him in deeper and we're working on him now."

Mr Secker said no residents had had to be evacuated, although Manawahe Rd, which was affected by the devastating floods in May, was closed from the intersection of Caverhill Rd and SH2.

The floods two months ago forced 250 residents to flee their homes.


Police later said SH2 might be reopened by early afternoon.


Meanwhile, the second truck driver caught in the flooding was understood to have been rescued.


- NZPA