MetService National weather: January 30th - 2nd February.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell says “it may be wise” for residents in low-lying areas or near waterways to consider finding alternative accommodation tonight after MetService issued a red heavy rain warning for the Bay of Plenty west of Kawerau.
The red warning has been issued for between 3am to 9pm tomorrow when up to 150mm of rain is forecast at rates of up to 25mm/h.
MetService says this rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding. Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities.
“As a precaution, it may be wise for those living in low-lying areas or near waterways to consider finding alternative accommodation tonight,” Tapsell said.
“Because the ground is now totally saturated from the rainfall we’ve already had, more heavy rain increases the risk of flooding so we want to make sure people are vigilant and prepared to act if needed.
“If you are apprehensive and in need of advice, support or assistance, including accommodation, please call the council.
“We want to make sure everyone is as prepared as possible in the event of flooding so please take precautions and err on the side of caution.
“Our contractors and staff have been busy with the last of the clearing up from the weekend and we are prepared. Council staff are also on standby to activate emergency response systems if needed.”
Parts of Auckland - which remains in a state of emergency - and the Coromandel were also issued red warnings, meaning rain was expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding. Slips and floodwaters were likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities.
A red heavy rain warning is now in place for the Coromandel from 10pm today to 3pm Wednesday.
Heavy rain is also expected in Waikato. A red warning means rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding. Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities.
The Whitianga Summer Concert due to take place on Sunday has been cancelled due to the current weather event in the North Island.
Greenstone Entertainment announced the cancellation of the Coromandel event based on information received from authorities including Civil Defence, the local council and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
State Highway 25A on the Coromandel Peninsula has now completely collapsed near the summit and will be closed until further notice. State Highway 25 between Coromandel town and Whitianga is now open.
The Tapu-Coroglen Rd, 309 Rd, Port Jackson Rd and Linton and Weka Rds are also closed.
Detour is State Highway 2 via Karangahake Gorge. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the gorge remained open however they were closely monitoring for any signs of flooding.
“The DoC carpark is closed and we discourage access to leisure facilities during this time.”
More Coromandel road information is at the bottom of this article.
Five Tauranga homes deemed unsafe to live in
In the Tauranga suburb of Maungatapu, a slip crashed into homes on Egret Ave about midnight on Saturday, forcing dozens of homeowners to be evacuated.
Five homes have been deemed unsafe to live in after building inspectors and geotechnical engineers evaluated the damage to properties and completed a safety assessment of the area, Tauranga City Council said.
The homes have been issued with Dangerous Building Notices, while the remainder that were assessed are safe to live in and residents have been advised they can return home.
Those who are unable to return to their homes are staying with family and friends, the council said in a media statement.
Engineers will now assess what repairs or actions are required for the properties to be deemed safe.
Council staff have spoken with all affected homeowners and will continue to provide support and communication over the coming weeks.
“With more rain forecast this week, now is a good time to check gutters and clear drains, and to check in with whānau, friends and neighbours.”
The council have asked anyone who spots fallen trees, slips or flooding to contact them.
An aerial image of the landslide that crashed into homes in Maungatapu on Saturday. Photo / Paul Griffin
Paul Griffin said he, his partner Rachel and their two sons, Caleb, 14, and Cooper, 11, were evacuated and stayed with one of Rachel’s friends that night, but were able to return home on Sunday.
He said they were “extremely lucky” their house suffered no damage.
Another evacuated resident, who did not want to be named for privacy reasons, said her family had been given the all-clear to return home, but had decided to stay at an Airbnb until they felt ready to return.
”We just wanted to take some time to recover, and then go home. It was quite the ordeal.”
Luke Hanan and Teresa Hodgson’s home, which they share with their five children, was destroyed by the slip. He said it “snapped in half and then slid and sort of rolled over itself. We were lucky to get out alive. It’s amazing, to be honest”.
Residents whose homes border the Ngongotahā Stream in Rotorua spent the weekend on edge, as the stream rose to peak levels amid heavy downpours. In a Facebook post, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said the district received about 10 per cent of the rainfall it normally gets in a whole year overnight Saturday.
State Highway 25A on the Coromandel Peninsula has completely collapsed near the summit.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council said in a Facebook post it had reached max capacity at the Katikati wastewater treatment plant.
“As a result, we are currently experiencing overflow issues and there is also evidence that some treated wastewater has entered the harbour.
“We’re working on resolving this issue, but for now please stay clear of swimming and collecting and eating shellfish from the area. We will get some warning signs at the water’s edge installed as soon as we can.”
Kaiate Falls was closed until further notice as the bridges had been washed out and track damaged too.
Western Bay mayor James Denyer and deputy mayor John Scrimgeour had met with some of the affected residents after the bridge on No 4 Rd washed out to negotiate alternate access. Upwards of 30 properties are affected.
“There are still a number of questions and logistics we need to work through, but the picture of how we can approach this is becoming clearer thanks to this kōrero. We are also working closely with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and other key partners to progress this.
MetService meteorologist John Law told the Bay of Plenty Times that showers in the region tomorrow morning would turn to rain as the day progressed and northeasterly winds would pick up.
“Sadly, it’s looking like things are going to go downhill as we head through Tuesday, but Wednesday is looking like the wettest and perhaps the windiest time for us.”
A heavy rain warning was in place for the Bay of Plenty from 3am Wednesday to 9pm Wednesday.
During this time, between 90 to 140mm of rain was expected - with the largest amounts likely about inland areas west of Whakatāne. Tauranga could see between 50 to 90mm of rainfall on Wednesday, and Rotorua between 40 to 70mm.
Law said there would be periods of heavy rain with possible thunderstorms, and northeasterly winds would be strong in exposed places.
“There is still [the] potential of some heavy rainfall, and it is coming on top of what we have already seen across the Bay of Plenty.
“It’s definitely a situation we are keeping a very close eye on.”
An aerial image of the landslide that crashed into homes in Maungatapu on Saturday. Photo / Paul Griffin
He said the good news was the weather looked like it would get “a little better” at the end of the week, with conditions easing up.
Tauriko resident Kathleen Wright was rescued by police in a boat on Saturday morning after her Redwood Lane rental property flooded in a matter of minutes.
Speaking about the hours leading up to the rescue, Wright said she woke up to the sound of splashing at 5.30am and opened the backdoor to a group of rabbits “bouncing through the water and struggling”.
Within five minutes water was “coming in the door”, so Wright rushed to wake up her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend.
By this time, the water was ankle-deep in the house and their furniture was becoming submerged, she said.
Just before 6am, they made their way to a neighbouring property which was up on a hill, she said.
“We couldn’t get out of the driveway, so we went to the house on the hill. The water was just rising so quickly.”
“Everything under a metre high is getting thrown out. I have lodged a claim with insurance - but I am not even thinking about that at the moment - I am just focusing on getting out what I can.”
Wright was staying with friends until she figured out a new living situation for her family.
On Monday morning, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it received 348 calls in the previous 24 hours, 273 of which were from Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
In the Bay of Plenty, there were 57 incidents, which included five priority one rescues and 14 that were priority two.
Meanwhile, people are being urged to avoid swimming in the “temporary lake” on the flooded Greerton Rugby Field.
In a Facebook post, Tauranga City Council said people should avoid entering the water at the Oropi Rd rugby field as floodwaters could be contaminated with sewage, bacteria and chemical runoff.
The Greerton Rugby Field, pictured on Saturday. Photo / Cira Olivier
“The rain has turned the Greerton Rugby Field on Oropi Road into what looks like a temporary lake, but please don’t be tempted to take a dip,” it said.
The council has installed warning signs at the field, and asked people to “stay away from any area that is flooded”.
Meanwhile, the Historic Village has since reopened to the public after surface flooding forced its closure on Sunday.
McLaren Falls Park has also reopened. However, some tracks remained closed, the council said.
Two tracks were closed in Waipuna Park. The track connecting Waipuna Park and Johnson Reserve is closed due to a slip that has also covered part of the bottom loop track.
”We’ll continue to keep an eye on the situation over the next few days and provide updates.”
The council asked people to call them to report flooding, slips or other weather-related issues in the area.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency urged road users to drive to expect delays across the state highway network.
Waka Kotahi regional manager of maintenance and operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, said the nature of the continuing weather event meant the status of other roads on the network could change at any time.
“As Metservice forecasts further rainfall and possible hailstorms spreading further down the North Island in the next few days, we are closely monitoring the state of the network in those areas.”
“Our priority remains ensuring delays on our network are minimised and that conditions are safe for road users and contractors at these sites. That means in many places, there will be road workers out with lower speeds in place or stop/go controls.”
Motorists should be mindful of contractor’s cleaning hazards, drive to the conditions and use the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner, she said.
