A section of SH5 near Rotorua is closed this morning due to a slip.
The slip came down near Dansey Rd, northwest of the city, and detours are in place via Dalbeth Rd and SH36.
SH36 is now open under stop/go traffic management after flooding between Jackson Rd and Central Rd.
Maniatutu Rd, between Rotoehu Rd and Pugh Rd, remained closed overnight due to a large slip and tree blocking both lanes.
Fire and Emergency NZ was called to 80 weather-related incidents in the Bay of Plenty between 12am Tuesday and 9am Thursday.
Of these 80 incidents, 23 were in Rotorua, 25 in Tauranga, 26 in the Western Bay of Plenty, five in Whakatāne and one in Ōpōtiki.
A spokeswoman said 13 were reported as rescues and eight were for people stuck in their cars or on their properties by flooding.
The majority of the rest were for flooding in buildings, homes, and roads, and for slips and fallen trees.
Rainfall amounts and forecast
MetService expert meteorologist, Peter Little, said 74.9mm of rain had fallen in Tauranga in the 48 hours up to 9am today.
Rotorua had 115.2mm in the same period, Whakatāne 64.6 mm and Taupō 81.8 mm.
Showers were forecast today, with thunderstorms and hail possible west of Whakatāne, Little said.
The showers are expected to clear late this afternoon or evening as westerly winds turn southerly. South to southwest winds stick around for the weekend, bringing fine weather.
Donovan Park clean-up
A bridge was damaged and there was a large build-up of debris in Donovan Park in Te Puke.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council civil defence controller Peter Watson said the clean-up bill at the park would be around $4000 to $5000.
“Donovan Park is an important community gathering space. It’s one of the more popular parks in Te Puke and the community use it for all sorts including barbeque picnics, playdates at the playground and events.
“We’re working hard to get the park back to tip top condition as soon as possible.
“The stream and flood plain through Donovan Park are also an important part of the stormwater network for this catchment.”
Donovan said the clean-up started on Wednesday with the removal of silt and repairs to damaged assets including the bridge and upended rubbish bin.
Club members find cars submerged
Deerstalker club members were enjoying their committee meeting on Tuesday night unaware floodwaters were rising all around their Tauriko building.
New Zealand Deerstalker Association Bay of Plenty branch incoming committee member Jill Fryer said flashing lights from police outside the clubrooms were the first warning anything was wrong.
They went out to find their vehicles submerged in water.
River levels
Bay of Plenty Regional Council duty flood manager Peter Blackwood said the Rangitāiki River was still receiving spill flows from Matahina Dam to try to lower the levels in the upper catchment and relieve pressure off the downstream Rangitāiki River.
He said all other major rivers were receding and were approximately halfway back to normal levels.
