Plenty more rain still to come for Hawke's Bay, but not as heavy

Nick Holder (right) photographs Megan Alexander as big sea crashes around them at Napier's viewing platform. Photo Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay late today seemed to have escaped the worst of what promises to be some of the most prolonged wet weather since a major storm 12 months ago.

But it wasn't the end, with further rain forecast through to the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday.

Rain was still off-and-on in most parts of the region mid-afternoon, and in Hawke's Bay it was heaviest in the Wairoa district, and even heavier further north into the Gisborne region, where a state of emergency was declared at about 2pm.

But Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management controller Ian Macdonald described the rain in his region as no more than an annual event, and no particular issues had arisen other than "ponding rather than flooding" by councils in their own infrastructure.

There were heavy seas off the coast, manly at lower tide, and a warning for the coast was lifted during the day, Macdonald said.

According to Hawke's Bay Regional Council on-line details for the last seven days, Mt Manuoha, the highest point in Te Urewera National Park, north of Waikaremoana, by early afternoon had more than 170mm of rain in the last seven days, most in the last 48 hours.

Also dominated by the rain in the last 48 hours, Te Pohue had had 95.2mm in the last week and Te Haroto more than 75mm. The Napier CBD station had had 35mm and Bridge Pa had had 39.8mm.

Wairoa District Council reported heavy rainfall for the Kopuawhara/Nuhaka areas was expected and the areas could get an additional 100 mm from now until 7am Friday.

Stormy skies above Ātea a Rangi at Waitangi Regional Park will hang around for a little while longer. Photo / Warren Buckland

There may be flash flooding, and with a high tide may cause minor flooding in the Maungawhio lagoon area, the post stated.

The river level for Wairoa was expected to peak and maintain this level (or slightly higher) for the next 12 to 24 hours.

There may be some levels in the lower area near the yacht club reaching those similar to the flooding event in September.

The council posted that with the level of rain, the area would also get quite a bit of storm water infiltration into the wastewater system, which puts a bit of pressure on the wastewater system.

The prevailing low temperatures are down to the influence of the southeasterly wind flow, where the eastern and central North Island return to figures in the low to mid-teens.

The rain comes after comparatively low October rainfall, which Regional Council principal scientist air Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said was 86 per cent of the October average across 43 recording stations from Urewera to just south of Porangahau.

The Ruataniwha and Heretaunga plains' did particularly well in October, averaging more than the October average, but northern Hawke's Bay and the main ranges fell well below normal (averaging 66 per cent).

The heaviest rainfalls for the month totalled 250.5mm at Mt Manuoha, just below its October average.

Conversely, the heaviest in Central Hawke's Bay was 76.4mm in Tapairu, more than one-and-a-half times its October average.