Homeowners across Tauranga are counting the cost of flooding caused by ex-tropical cyclone Cook, which battered the region on Thursday night.
One of those affected, Arataki homeowner Heather Kupa, said she has had "a gutsful" after being flooded twice in a week.
Heavy rainfall flooded the garage and a spare bedroom of her Harris St property.
"The fire brigade came last time to empty out all the water, but the water keeps coming up through the ground as the water table is so close to the level of my garage door," she said.
"As fast as they pumped the water out it keeps filling up, she said.
Ms Kupa said she woke up Friday morning to a half-metre deep groundwater in front of her garage door and her heart just sunk.
Furniture inside the spare bedroom, including a bedside, table and chairs, a wall unit and some antique furniture received a soaking, she said.
Ms Kupa said she had lived at the property for 30 years.
"The house has been built in a low-lying area of the street, and council should never have permitted a garage to be put down here in the first place.
"Every time it rains heavily, all the water from both sides of the street converges at the culvert outside my property," Ms Kupa said.
"I've had gutsful. I can't live like this anymore, and something needs to be done. Every time it rains heavily I can't sleep worrying whether I will be flooded again," she said.
Grenada St resident Andrew Pogun was in the middle of clearing out his belongings from his studio basement flat when the Bay of Plenty Times turned up.
The 46-year-old said the water started coming in about 3pm Thursday and he had moved upstairs to stay with his landlord.
Mr Pogun's landlord, who did not wish to be identified, said the flooding got worse at high tide.
"There was nothing we could do to stop the water coming into my garage and the basement flat," she said.
The fire service had arrived at 7.30am Friday and pumped out all the water but within half hour of leaving the water began rising and came inside again.
A carpet layer, who came to lift up the carpet, helped pump out some of the water and, she said.
"I haven't really had time to worry about my losses because my main concern is for Andrew who had lost quite a few of his belongings. It's heartbreaking for him."
Mr Pogun, who had lived at the property for six years, said he was "devastated".
"When I first saw the water coming in I thought to myself 'what the hell', but there was nothing I could do, and my heart just sunk. This is the first time it has happened to me.
"Unfortunately I only have car insurance, and I will have to replace half my furniture, my bed, and lots of other possessions which I will need to throw away," he said.