Echoes of 2023 as East Cape cops heavy rain

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Heavy rainfalls over the past day or so at the top of East Cape have been a reminder of just how wet it was last year.

The wettest spot was Raukumara Station which received almost 160mm in the past few days including  over 100mm in the 24 hours up to 8am yesterday.

Locations such as Puketoro Station, Te Rata, Matawai and Arowhana had 50 to 65mm in the 24 hours before the rain ceased yesterday morning.

The ranges running north from Hawke’s B ay to East Cape acted as a barrier to the rain front coming across from the north-west.

More rain fell on the Eastern Bay of Plenty side of the ranges — the Haparapara gauge inland of Te Kaha getting almost 230mm.

The top end of the Raukumara Ranges continues to hold the region’s rain records, and last year saw many places get two to three times more than the annual average.

For comparison, Gisborne City had double its normal annual rainfall with a record 2054.2mm over 2023.

But Raukumara Station’s rain gauge shows that area really copped it last year, with an astonishing six metres of rain in those 12 months.

The actual figure is 6330mm, with last May being the wetttest month at 1121.6mm.

Second placegetter for last year’s deluges was the steep enclosed Raparapaririki Valley at the top end of the Tapuaeroa River.

That gauge recorded 5657.2mm of rain last year.

Third wettest was at the other end of the district but again in steep hill country.

The Wharerata gauge totalled 3890.6mm over 2023.

Back up to the East Cape and Waikura Valley saw 4372mm of rain over 2023, Ruatoria measured 3342.5mm while Te Puia Springs got  3348.2mm. Tuahu Station at Tauwhareparae had 3134mm over the year while further south, inland in the ranges, Matawai recorded 2346mm.