Raewyn Chapman/Stuff
The water was still rising in Awakeri, completely surrounding Raewyn Chapman’s house
People in the Eastern Bay of Plenty have been battered by a deluge, with rainfall of up to 230mm in the Whakatāne area, which has flooded roads and isolated towns.
Tāneatua and Rūātoki townships were inaccessible by road on Wednesday morning.
Awakeri resident Raewyn Chapman was isolated with no way to get out from her house. Water had completely flooded her property and surrounded the house, and was still rising, she said.
Stock had to be moved from flooded paddocks to the only piece of dry land left in the hay barn.
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Raewyn Chapman/Stuff
Flooding in the Eastern Bay of Plenty near Awakeri.
Whakatāne River was on its second warning levels and was continuing to rise, said a spokesperson for Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which was working with Civil Defence and local councils to monitor the developing situation.
“We are advising farmers with stock on low-lying areas adjacent to the Whakatāne and Tauranga Rivers to immediately move stock to higher ground.”
The Te Rahu spillway on the Whakatāne River near Awakeri was being used to relieve pressure from the lower parts of the Whakatāne River. Water levels in the Te Rahu basin were predicted to continue rising over the next 12 hours and residents in nearby properties had been alerted by the council.
The Kaituna River level was just above the first warning level, but was also rising, and the regional council would text nearby landowners if it reached the second warning level.
The Matahina Dam was also continuing to spill throughout the day.
Supplied/WhakatÄne District Council
Red Devon corner in Taneatua. The town is currently inaccessible by road
Multiple slips and areas of localised flooding have closed State Highway 2 between Awakeri and Kutarere.
Slips and flooding were also affecting local roads. Wainui Road is down to one lane in places with temporary traffic management and Taneatua Road is closed, said transport agency Waka Kotahi.
The road is closed from the SH30/SH2 Awakeri intersection to the SH2/Wainui Road intersection until further notice.
Wainui Road could be closed at short notice if river levels rose significantly, and the road closure would be extended to Ōpōtiki, said a spokeperson for Waka Kotahi.
Geotechnical engineers were assessing the slips to ensure that it was safe to begin clearing the road.
There was also rockfall in the Waioeka Gorge which contractors were inspecting.
Residents in Rūātoki connected to the Whakatāne District Council water supply were advised to boil all drinking water for a minimum of three minutes due to flooding of water intake.
Whakatāne residents were asked to not flush toilets, limit shower use and let the dishes and washing pile up to conserve water as the system was overloaded with rain water.
MetService said heavy rain warnings would continue for Eastern Bay of Plenty, and had pre-warned about the possibility of rapidly rising rivers and streams, surface flooding and slips.
Taranaki and the west coast of the South Island, while heavy rain watches were also in place for Northland, Tongariro National Park, Tasman and Buller.
