Farmers spared major flood damage

Flooding in the Eastern Bay of Plenty from heavy rain throughout the New Year period has meant dairy farmers are unable to get their milk out of the region. Photo / Christine Cornege

Farmers in the waterlogged eastern Bay of Plenty have been spared major flood damage but some have been forced to dump milk as road closures cut off access to tankers.

Roads are beginning to reopen after days of torrential rain caused slips and flooding, closing State Highway 2 and cutting off the small township of Waimana in the Waimana Gorge.

The highway through the gorge is now open, restoring access to Waimana, but the one-way Pikatahi Bridge between Awakeri and Taneatua remains closed.

People can still travel between Whakatane and Opotiki via Ohope Beach.

Whakatane District Council spokeswoman Coral Hair warned motorists to expect delays as crews work to clear flooded roads throughout the region.

Floodwaters are receding as rivers drop, but surface flooding levels in some areas are still quite high.

Crews are assessing damage to infrastructure as the waters recede.

"It's obviously quite a big flood this time, but for us it's not too bad _ it could have been a lot worse,'' said Ms Hair.

Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty president John Scrimgeour said a relatively small area of farmland had been badly affected.

The worst-flooded farms had suffered washed-out fences and silted pastures, but damage to buildings had been minimal.

"Most of the Bay of Plenty has just had a couple of seriously wet days. It's mainly in the Waimana and close to Whakatane areas that are badly flooded,'' Mr Scrimgeour told APNZ.

"In terms of the level of water and the time it's been around, it's worse than most. But it seems there's been less debris perhaps left behind than some other floods.''

Milk tankers were not able to access the Waimana area yesterday and some farmers did not have sufficient storage to hold all their milk.

Those without capacity had to dump large amounts, but it was anticipated tankers would be able to get back into the area today.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council water management manager Eddie Grogan said Fonterra had been in touch to explain the situation.

Farmers dumping milk would need to ensure they followed guidelines carefully to avoid direct contamination of waterways, he said.

"Irrigation of waste milk to land is the preferred option of disposal in an emergency situation, however given the flooding of paddocks, this may not be possible for all farmers.''

Milk disposal could cause odour issues for neighbouring properties and the council asked farmers to dilute milk before disposal.

The MetService said a trough would cross the Bay of Plenty and Taupo this afternoon and early evening, bringing further showers.

Forecasters said some could be heavy but the risk of thunderstorms was low.

Yesterday, two people had a narrow escape after driving their van into the swollen Waiopua Stream, which flooded as the Waimana River burst its banks.

Police said the pair ignored warning signs and tried to drive through floodwaters on SH2 south of Whakatane.

The vehicle was submerged up to its windows and the pair had to scramble out to safety.

Meanwhile, a mother and her three young children were trapped in their house yesterday after it was surrounded by water from the Waimana River.

Access to the area has since been restored.