Road still closed but power restored after wild weather hits Bay of Plenty

Hamurana Rd remains closed after a slip and large tree blocked the lane overnight. Photo / File

A road near Rotorua remains closed due to a slip but power has been restored to 850 homes in the Western Bay after bad weather hit the Bay of Plenty overnight.

A storm on Sunday and early Monday was blamed for road closures, fallen trees and power cuts.

The State Highway 33 end of Hamurana Rd at Mourea was closed due to a slip and a large tree blocking both lanes about 1km from the highway intersection.

The Rotorua Lakes Council said at 3pm the road would remain closed until at least tomorrow while workers finished clearing away the debris.

The two trees that fell on Te Akau Road at Okere Falls had been cleared and road crews would inspect other roads around the district tomorrow.

As of this evening lines companies, Powerco in Tauranga and Unison in Rotorua, were no longer reporting any power cuts in the Bay of Plenty.

This morning some 850 homes in Pukehina, Te Puke, Ōropi, and Tauranga were without power.

Earlier:

The Rotorua Lakes Council warned people this morning to take extra care in the district, particularly in rural areas and roads prone to slips and treefall.

The State Highway 33 end of Hamurana Rd at Mourea was closed due to a slip and a large tree blocking both lanes. The tree was located about 1km from the SH33 intersection.

The council stated on its website the road was still closed this morning as "it was too dangerous for contractor crews to clear last night due to falling debris".

"A check of the site this morning shows pine trees on top of the bank have been completely uprooted and fallen across the road with some minor slip debris. Crews are already on site and will work to clear the road today and get it re-opened as soon as possible but it remains closed at this time."

At Te Akau Rd at Okere Falls, two trees blocked half the road and contractors who tidied the area for traffic yesterday were expected to return today to fully clean up. The council also received a report of a large sign which had blown off a building and landed on Ranolf St.

Meanwhile, about 850 homes in Pukehina, Te Puke, Ōropi, and Tauranga were still without power this morning.

Wind speeds of up to 80km/h were recorded in the Bay last night, with Rotorua seeing most of the heavy rain, according to MetService.

Meteorologist Melissa Oosterwijk said a frontal system passing through the Bay of Plenty overnight could have been the cause of strong winds in the region.

Oosterwijk said Rotorua had 19mm of rain and 6.6mm was recorded in Tauranga in the past 12 hours.

The heaviest downpour was recorded in Rotorua at about 10pm, when 6.4mm of rain fell in just one hour.

Strong northerly winds reached speeds of up to 50km/h in the Bay of Plenty, with gusts of up to 70km to 80km/h.

Oosterwijk said the heavy wind and rain was expected to ease by this afternoon, however, a few showers were expected throughout the morning.

"Tomorrow is looking more settled and it should be mostly sunny, with some sun this afternoon," she said.