The Western Bay of Plenty was battered by wild weather yesterday which tore roofs from houses and flooded parts of State Highway 2 - and more rain is expected.
In the 24 hours leading up to 3pm yesterday, 62mm of rain had fallen in Tauranga with peak wind speeds of 70km/h. Rain was heavier in the Kaimai Range, recording 95mm, and MetService experts say there is plenty more rain to come.
The drenching of rain swelled the Ohinemuri River to breaking point in the Karangahake Gorge. The gorge had already been closed to one lane where a slip had fallen earlier in the day.
For Tauranga woman Sarah Hall, travelling to Auckland with partner and 19-month-old daughter, the trip through the gorge "was the scariest ride ever".
"We got in and there was a warning on the digital sign and we thought 'should we go in or not?' We could see it [the river] was getting level with the road. It was pretty close," she said.
"As we got further in, it got to the point where it was actually going over the top. We were like 'do we go back or do we continue?' So we continued. Then we came across the slip. It was horrible. You could hear it. It was rapids. I have never seen it like that in my life."
Ms Hall said the water level was so high she feared it might flood the road and trap them and wondered if she would be forced to tie her daughter to the roof of the car to keep her safe and out of the water.
"It was actually quite shocking. I would have thought they would have shut it."
The NZ Transport Agency warned of the slip and that the gorge could close in the afternoon.
Communications manager Natalie Dixon said the water level of the Ohinemuri River had risen to within half a metre from the road by 1pm.
However, contractors monitoring the water level in the gorge said the rain had begun to ease off at that point. The contractors continued to watch the river until it was no longer a threat.
Strong winds blew roofing iron and tiles from buildings throughout the region, including a building on Dive Cres and two homes in Papamoa.
Firefighters assisted in re-attaching the iron and repairing the tiles.
Senior station officer Neil Brown said he was pleasantly surprised the brigade was not busier with weather-related jobs.
We are looking at a fairly unsettled start to the month in terms of rainfall.
Firefighters were typically busy during stormy weather, with incidents involving flooding and crashes, as well as damaged roofs.
The MetService and the Bay of Plenty Region Emergency Management Group issued a severe weather warning for the Western Bay of Plenty, yesterday.
MetService meteorologist Emma Blades said a lot more heavy rain was expected to fall in the Tauranga area this week, as a new low made its way across the North Island.
"It's not unusual. We are looking at a fairly unsettled start to the month in terms of rainfall."