Four Bay of Plenty rivers reached warning levels after heavy rain in the region.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council said this afternoon the Kaituna River had reached its second warning level, with the Paraiti, Rangitāiki and Whakatāne rivers at their first warning.
“Most rivers are expected to peak overnight. The flood room remains activated and we have staff monitoring the situation throughout the night,” a spokesperson said.
The council activated its Flood Room at 7am with teams checking flood defences such as stopbanks and floodwalls, and monitoring river levels, flows and rainfall.
The Kaituna and Paratai rivers had reached the first warning levels - normal channel capacity - by 11am.
An orange heavy rain warning would remain in place for Bay of Plenty until 11pm tonight.
Heavy downpours started yesterday afternoon as two weather systems converged to drag an atmospheric river down to New Zealand.
There has been surface flooding in Rotorua and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said flooding has been reported on SH25 from Whitianga to Tairua, in the Coromandel Peninsula.
MetService said its Rotorua Airport weather station recorded 89.1mm in the 24 hours to 9am - the station’s second wettest November since records began in 1963.
Coromandel Ranges received about 150mm with 50-90mm on the eastern coast.
Tauranga recorded 46.9mm and Whakatāne 32.4mm in the same period.
Up to 180mm of rain was expected on top of what had already fallen.
Coromandel, Waikato, Taupō and Tongariro National Park could expect rain to ease this afternoon and early evening.
A heavy rain warning for Gisborne/Tairāwhiti expires at 1am.
MetService meteorologist John Law told the Herald the last place to see the rain clear away today would be areas such as the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.
He said tomorrow and into Friday were looking to be much better as the rain cleared for most regions.
Law said MetService was keeping a close eye on the weather in the Bay of Plenty and the northern part of Gisborne/Tairāwhiti throughout today.
⚠️☔️💧Heavy rain has mostly eased in #Auckland but some intense bands of rain now lining up for #CoromandelPeninsula. Watch for slips and flooding. It's slowly all sliding eastwards today.
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 18, 2025
📡Track live MetService radar here: https://t.co/sZ6VGec556 pic.twitter.com/cir5RPqmP2
Rotorua Lakes Council said slips had been reported on Penny Rd and SH30, surface flooding on Sophia St, Kawaha Point Rd, Bell Rd and Pukuatua St, and blocked drains on Hamurana Rd.
“Council staff are also on stand-by to respond to any weather-related issues and the usual checks and preparations were undertaken ahead of the arrival of the weather event,” a statement said.
Residents were encouraged to remain alert, especially those who live near waterways that may rise rapidly if heavy downpours arrive.
“Take extra care on our roads today in case of treefalls and slips – drive to the conditions."
Tauranga City Council duty controller Nigel McGlone said it had not received any reports of weather-related issues overnight.
“We are closely monitoring this heavy rain event and have activated our Incident Management Team as a precaution. This means we have a dedicated team in place to respond quickly if any issues arise.“
He encouraged residents to call 07 577 7000 to report any fallen trees, slips, or flooding.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council duty controller, Peter Watson, said trees had come down at Ongare Point and Old Coach Rd in Pongakawa overnight.
Yesterday afternoon, the regional council advised Manawa Energy was “spilling” the Matahina Dam as river inflows exceeded generation capacity.
The council said stock on low-lying land immediately beside the Rangitāiki River, and particularly upstream from Te Teko, should be moved to higher ground due to the flooding risk.
The warning did not apply to areas protected by stopbanks, and the council said there was no flooding risk in Edgecumbe or the Rangitāiki Plains.
Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly Niwa) forecaster Chester Lampkin said yesterday an area of low pressure in the Tasman Sea and a cold front coming in from the southwest would bring a big plume of moisture from the Tasman.
As well as heavy rain for many, warm nights could also be expected.
“We call it an atmospheric river because of the amount of moisture coming with it,” Lampkin said.
“There is an area of high pressure to the east that is blocking the weather pattern, where it slows the weather down to almost a standstill, which makes the storms move a little bit slower.”
Daily water sampling of Rotorua’s Waikuta Stream and the nearby area of Lake Rotorua is ongoing after last week’s wastewater overflow.
Rotorua Lakes Council was alerted by contractors about midday on November 11 that a large wastewater pressure pipe had been damaged while work was being carried out.
The overflow was stopped, with seven sucker trucks removing wastewater, and the damage to the rising main was repaired.
Rotorua Lakes Council said yesterday the latest available results showed that E. coli levels were improving, but were not within recommended contact levels.
“With more rain forecast, we anticipate there could be increases in results for a number of streams over the next few days.
“As a precaution, it is advised there should be no contact with the water between Beaumont Rd and the Waiowhiro Stream for at least 48 hours after the anticipated heavy rainfall this week.”
Warning signage has been installed at various points along the foreshore and lake access points.