State of emergency in Bay of Plenty after flooding

A local state of emergency has been declared in the Eastern Bay of Plenty township of Matata, prompting officials to evacuate a third of the population.

Five 41-seater buses are being used to transport around 200 people from Matata to Whakatane as the heavy rain continues to fall in the region, threatening houses and roads.

Officials fear the rain forecast to fall overnight would make it impossible for many residents to leave if water levels rise any further, and lives would be put at risk.

Earlier a state of emergency was declared in the Bay of Plenty after flooding destroyed houses in Tauranga, swamped farms and forced evacuations.

About 230mm of rain fell in and around Tauranga today, stretching emergency services and bringing the city to a standstill.

Dennis Dobson, who lives in one of the worst hit suburbs, Otumoetai, told NZPA rivers of water were pouring through the neighbourhood about noon during the peak of the downpour.

Mr Dobson said the city was dry, having had little rain for nearly two months, and the light soil could not cope.

"The rain was horrendous, I've been here for 26 years and haven't seen anything like it." Mr Dobson said.

He said while his own home appeared to be unscathed apart from part of the section slipping away, a neighbouring house had slid off its foundations and crashed into another house, and at least three other houses in the immediate area had also been shifted by the rivers of water.

Police had advised Mr Dobson and his family to evacuate, and they were in the process of doing so late this afternoon.

In Welcome Bay, a primary school was evacuated, farmers reported having water covering significant portions of their land and roads were closed with up to a metre of water covering them.

On State Highway 2 east of Whakatane, about 20 vehicles were stranded this morning, with approaches to a couple of bridges either side of them having been washed out.

A Transit New Zealand statement said floodwaters on the roads had receded, leaving piles of debris.

Police this afternoon said a number of homes in Tauranga were on the verge of slipping from their foundations and many had been advised to evacuate.

Civil Defence has warned there could be more heavy rain to come.

Mt Maunganui was also hit hard, with flooded homes forcing evacuations, and major roads linking the beachside settlement to Tauranga were at one stage gridlocked by stalled cars.

In other areas, slips covered railway lines and disrupted rail traffic into Mt Maunganui.

At 4pm, the only access between Te Puke and Tauranga was through Papamoa Beach Road back onto SH2 because of flooding.

No injuries had been reported by late this afternoon.

- NZPA