Storm sparks one metre of rainfall in northern Hawke's Bay

The fallen trees blocking State Highway 2 today near the intersection with Waihua Valley Rd, between Raupunga and Wairoa. Photo / Supplied

A storm with more than a metre of rainfall in March in some isolated areas of Northern Hawke's Bay has left farmers with months of work to do just to get back to where they were.

That's the view of former Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Fenton Wilson, who with his wife Sue has joined the growing list of those isolated on their farms because of the floods and slips after rainfall which in some places has topped 1000mm in the last three weeks.

He considers himself more fortunate than some, despite the "last straw" of the Monday-Tuesday rain which had finally caused the blockage of the way in and out.

There had been more than 800mm of rain on the 235ha block north of Wairoa and more was expected overnight, but at least some power was back on, using a generator he and his daughter had to carry through a stream.

He had heard of much worse, including "up in some of the back country" where there was reported to have been 700mm in one night and more than 1200mm this month.

His own farm usually averages 1200-1500mm a year, he said, and the latest deluges meant that in 54 years on the property he hasn't seen the streams and river as high, something reaffirmed by neighbours who had been in the area even longer.

Yesterday, looking at just "one little corner" of the farm, he could see seven fences engulfed by slips. He said there would have to be "intervention" at some stage to help the hardest-hit farmers and their properties.

The regional council and the Wairoa District Council were well aware of the problems, he said, with particular praise for the crews from Quality Road Services which, he said, had been working night and day trying to keep roads open. Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Connor had also been in contact.

Wairoa mayor Craig Little said there remained about 20 rural roads closed in the district with little sign of relief from the elements.

"The mud is just oozing out of the hillsides," he said. "There's a lot of damage."

"Hundreds of millimetres of rain has fallen over the past week with particularly high rainfalls in the Tiniroto, Ruakituri, Marumaru and Mangapoike areas," he said, adding many farms were "totally isolated", a helicopter had been used to take in some supplies.

"In town there is major surface flooding with some people self-evacuating and council and emergency services on standby," he said.

Residents, particularly those in North Clyde (the northern side of the Wairoa River in town) were being urged to be prepared that they may have to leave their homes if floodwaters continued to rise, and council welfare services were in place to help, he said.

Meanwhile, national highways management agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency reported about 4pm that State Highway 2 near Waihua Valley Rd, between Raupunga and Wairoa had one lane back in use, after being closed for six hours by slips and fallen trees – having been closed or only partially open for all of the last week.

MetService was, however, warning it's not over yet, posting a further Heavy Rain Watch for the Gisborne and Wairoa Districts, through until 6pm, and the NZTA was also warning of difficult conditions further south and o the west, including SH5 between Napier and Taupo.

Residents in Southern Hawke's Bay were also being reminded by the Tararua District Council of a boil water notice still in place, although conditions were improving.

According to regional council online figures for areas north and inland from Wairoa, there had by 2pm been almost 40mm for Tuesday at Aniwaniwa in Te Urewera, on top of 421mm in the last seven days, there had been 69mm at Pukeorapa Station inland from Nuhaka after 643mm in the last week, and 37mm at Ruakituri after 427mm in the last week. Most of yesterday's rain had been before 8am.

Closer to Napier there had been 31mm at Te Pohue, following 225mm in the previous seven days, and further south there had been 52mm Waipoapoa after 290mm in the last week.

On the coast there had been 22-24mm at Waipatiki and Waimarama, there was still some rain in the twin-cities, with 8mm in Napier.