Heavy rain hits Wairoa again, flooding as drains struggle to cope

Wairoa is again being hit by heavy rain, with surface flooding in parts of the town amid rainfall of more than 100mm in the area in less than 24 hours.

The Wairoa town centre, where flooding was reported after 100mm of rain fell in the area today. Photo / NZME

According to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council figures, 107mm had been recorded at the railway bridge and 103.5mm at Marumaru, both stations on the Wairoa River.

Nationwide weather agency MetService had issued a heavy rain watch notice for the 33 hours from 9am Tuesday to 6pm Wednesday, possibly approaching warning level in the Wairoa and Tairawhiti areas.

The rain was expected to ease in the afternoon and evening but increase again later in the night, with a “moderate” chance of the notice being upgraded.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand had reported no specific rain issues, although two trucks were understood to have left the road, one on State Highway 2 north of town at 5.20am and the other on Ruapapa Rd between Frasertown and Tuai about 6.30am. No injuries were reported, though a logging truck cab had overturned and its trailer had blocked Ruapapa Rd.

The Wairoa River mouth was open to the sea with a cutting and low tide was about 1.30pm, posing no immediate threat. “Surface drainage flooding” was seen behind 4-5 shops, according to Mayor Craig Little.

Wairoa Civil Defence controller Juanita Savage said while the rain had been welcome by the dried-out rural sector, it could also cause anxiety because of the floods that Wairoa has been through in the past 18 months to two years from February 2023′s Cyclone Gabrielle and downpours in June.

“Wairoa received heavy rainfall overnight on Tuesday with a heavy rain watch in place until tomorrow [Wednesday] evening,” she said. “Council has been on the ground and monitoring the surface flooding.”

Little told Radio New Zealand late on Tuesday morning: “It’s absolutely hosing down, the drains can’t keep up.”

He said crews were doing what they could to mitigate the impact – “because there’s nothing saying the rain’s going away”.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues and personalities.