Tauranga flooding: Power outages, fire crashes and a mini-tornado

Tauranga emergency services were "very, very stretched" as heavy rain brought flooding, fire, crashes and a suspected mini-tornado on Monday.

And a firefighter warns people need to be prepared for more frequent weather emergencies.

The Bay of Plenty had 84mm of rainfall in a 12-hour window, with 21mm in just an hour in Rotorua between 2pm and 3pm, where residents near the Ngongotahā Stream are this evening being warned to prepare to evacuate.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council said in an 8.30pm Facebook update the stream was unlikely to flood and a thunderstorm watch had been lifted.

The Paraiti River (formally Mangorewa) was also decreasing from its level two warning while the Kaituna River was at level one and may reach level two - requiring stock to be moved only - before easing.

Metservice duty meteorologist Fulong Lu said from 2am to 7pm, there was 79mm of rain in Tauranga.

He said this was at its heaviest between 2pm and 3pm when 40mm fell in this hour, which he described as "very heavy".

Tauranga Fire Station senior station office Neil Brown said all resources were out dealing with incidents.

"We were fully committed."

He understood there was a small tornado in Matapihi alongside a factory fire on Portside Dr in Mount Maunganui, which may have been caused by water getting into a switchboard.

"Accidents and other incidents were also piling through so we were very, very stretched."

Flooding on Campbell Rd. Photo / supplied

Brown advised people to take preventative measures when it came to heavy downpours and flooding.

''With the amount of rain that came through, the drains couldn't cope. Check drains around your property to make sure they are not blocked.

"It's pre-planning and realising that these events are going to become more common."

Weather patterns were changing, Brown said.

A firefighter from Mount Maunganui Fire Station said the day shift was pretty busy.

"Every truck and volunteer in the Mount and Tauranga was out. It was a bit crazy."

Residents reported flooding on their streets, including on Mount Maunganui's Campbell Rd.

Holly Collins said she was visiting a friend on Campbell Rd and part of the road was closed off due to flooding.

"The water is up to our knees," she told the Bay of Plenty Times during the height of the flooding.

Collins, 21, said a man had been handing out sandbags for residents on the street to help stop water getting into homes.

The water was "ankle-deep" in her friend's garage, she said, and her van was outside stuck "underwater".

"We can't move it."

Another resident said water on her street was knee-deep and bins were floating down the road.

A person on the street was also working to push their vehicle, which was stuck in water.

Holly Collins in the Campbell St flooding. Photo / Zoe Hunter

A resident on Azalea Dell Dr said she noticed that her patio was flooding at around 3pm.

"The rain had been so heavy, I think it's the heaviest rain I have ever seen, and I have lived here well over 50 years."

She said a friend of hers called the fire brigade but they could not do anything to help the situation on arrival.

She said the water levels slowly reduced throughout the afternoon.

In Tauranga, two cars crashed on the Maungatapu onramp to State Highway 29A at about 3.30pm.

Tauranga City Council also reported localised flooding, including on Huia Ave and Carysfort St in Mount Maunganui.

"Our contractors are out doing what they can to sort things out."

MetService meteorologist Luis Fernandes said the heavy rainfall would come to an end by evening and it would turn more to showers, with the possibility of thunderstorms.

For the rest of the week, he said there would be showers in the morning tomorrow and on Wednesday, with rain expected on Thursday afternoon as well. There could be some heavy rain but there were no watches or warnings in the region yet.

The weekend was looking clearer, dryer and cooler.

"It's quite an active week, there's a lot going on with several systems moving across the country.

"The tap will be on and off, on and off."

Flooding in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

Police warned motorists to take "extreme caution" yesterday evening, saying there had been a number of calls for assistance to emergency services due to surface flooding and fallen trees.

Police said there could be hidden hazards in areas where there is surface flooding.

"If you can delay travel, we would advise you do so until the weather event has passed."

Earlier in the morning, hundreds of Bay of Plenty residents experienced power outages.

Powerco reported affected residents were in Waihi and Pāpāmoa, and the outages were due to damaged equipment.

A broken-down schoolbus on Homedale St in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua was also hit hard by flooding.

Firefighters helped take children off a school bus stranded due to flooding on Homedale St.

A motorist reported not being able to get home due to flooding on Hodgkins St at the intersection with Hamon Pl.

Rotorua Lakes Council said crews had worked to clear blocked cesspits and drains, clear downed trees and manage surface flooding.

Rotorua Fire and Emergency senior station officer Gary Balment said crews were flat out all afternoon in Rotorua and Ngongotahā. The worst-hit was a property on Bell Rd after a lot of water entered the property.

He said extra callout crews had to be brought in to help.

"I can't tell you how many jobs we went to ... There was just so much water in such a short timeframe, it just completely overwhelmed the drains."