Coastal areas and homes in Te Puna have been struck by flooding

Waipuna Hospice was flooded. Photo/John Borren

Coastal areas and homes were struck by flooding after heavy rain and a king tide yesterday morning - and areas around Te Puna did not escape.

A king tide hit at 10.40am yesterday causing flooding to a number of coastal areas and homes including those in Snodgrass Rd in Te Puna. Depending on the wind direction, Civil Defence said the second king tide, which was due to hit last night, could have had a similar result.

The main risks of the second king tide was high winds and coastal inundation caused by large swells.

In Snodgrass Rd, water continued to lap over the road, covering much of it.

Houses suffered flood damage and Snodgrass Rd resident Paul Hames said everything happened so quickly and locals who had lived in the area for up to 30 years not seen anything like it.

"It was obviously a king tide and a northerly which is coming straight in," he said.

"It was just a nasty thing to happen.

"It was quite surreal just how fast it happened and how it just dissipated so quickly."

He was hoping overnight would not be as rough.

At Te Puna Station Rd, Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow said staff had to move cars from the main entrance of the hospice where water had overflowed from the Wairoa River.

"This is the first time we have flooded like this, usually it flows down the back but the river has breached a bit higher up," Thurlow said.

Thurlow said the carpark had been raised and designed so the hospice would not flood.