Whiritoa cafe provides comfort and home baking after rainstorm

BRAVING THE STORM: Whiritoa Dairy owners Katherine Frame and Gary Davidson have experienced a deluge of rain this week. Photo / Lesley Staniland

Home baking is the order of the day for a Coromandel cafe cut off from the rest of the country with dwindling supplies and no payment facilities.

Just five months after taking over the cafe at Whiritoa, Katherine Frame and husband Gary Davidson found themselves at the hub of the coastal community, the worst hit by torrential rains this week.

The deluge dumped nearly 300mm of rain in less than 36 hours.

"We moved here three years ago from Auckland and bought the café five months ago, changing its name to Daisy Chain Café," Katherine said.

"Our coffee mornings every week are very popular but since the deluge we've had a lot of locals come in to share their stories about what's going on, who has been flooded and so on."

They even received a visit today from Hauraki Mayor John Tregidga, checking that all was well on the eastern front.

"Although we've got no cellphone coverage or Eftpos we've managed to get the word out that we've got hot scones and food here.

"I've been doing a lot of home baking as the delivery trucks haven't been able to get through," Katherine said.

Since early Tuesday morning the couple - both trained special needs teachers - have heard tales about flooded homes and listened to locals' concerns about further rain expected tonight.