Homes flooded in Hamilton as wild weather lashes parts of the country

Three houses have been flooded in Hamilton so far this morning after wild weather lashed parts of the country overnight.

Northern fire communications shift manager Jaron Philips said firefighters have been sent to three homes in the city since 6.45am.

Firefighters are pumping water out of one house on Sandwich Rd, St Andrews, while a back room and garage is flooded on Larnach St, also in St Andrews.

A house on Mardon Rd, Enderly, had surface flooding. Firefighters left the property with its occupants.

Bonnie Jobe has only lived in her rented Sandwich Rd house for six weeks, but this morning's downpour is already the second major flooding incident she's experienced.

Firefighters help drain a flooded property on Sandwich Rd this morning. Photo / Belinda Feek

Senior Station Officer Dave O'Donnell said it will take a couple of hours for the floodwaters to recede. His Pukete brigade crew was busy pumping the water out when the Herald visited this morning.

Most of the property surrounding the house was under water, however it was slowly receding as the rain eased to showers for a period of time.

Jobe said the property owner is in discussions with Hamilton City Council about fixing the drain which doesn't handle heavy rain.

She'd parked her car out on the road in anticipation of Cyclone Debbie arriving overnight and lined the bottom storey of the house with sandbags.

There have also been reports of a car floating away in flood waters on the outskirts of Hamilton this morning, however Waikato police are still trying to find the car.

"It's not confirmed yet. We haven't found the car," Waikato police Senior Sergeant Robbie Hermann said of the incident on State Highway 23 at Whatawhata.

"There's no streams in the area that I'm aware of."

The call came in about 6.30am, he said.

Waikato District Council is reporting that a slip has closed both lanes of Tuakau Bridge-Port Waikato Rd, between Klondyke Rd and Port Waikato.