House demolished after Bay of Plenty floods

A demolition crew this morning knocked down a fifth house following the May floods in Tauranga.

The three-bedroom Spanish-style home in Otumoetai was one of 39 deemed a total loss after the disaster.

A 14-tonne excavator was used for the demolition, which began at 8am once the crew from Page Earthworks had salvaged the last of the owner's possessions.

Outwardly, the Whitaker St home showed no signs of damage, but the Tauranga District Council had ruled the property was unsafe.

Geotechnical experts employed by the council said large cracks in the driveway indicated the potential for further landslides.

The house was next to others still teetering above a hillside that gave way. Homes below were hit by the slip and some have already been demolished.

Page Earthworks contracts manager Rod Jones said the crew took no pleasure in the job.

"We don't relish the task of coming in and smashing up people's houses. There's history in houses," he said.

Some homeowners have watched the demolitions but the owner of the home knocked down today was not present.

The crew expected to spend the rest of the day at the site, carting the concrete remains of the house away in a truck.

The floods left 144 homes in Tauranga uninhabitable.

Nearly 350 people remain in temporary accommodation and six households are still in motel or hotel accommodation.