All access to Mauao is closed.
The impacts of this week’s severe weather are still being felt across the Western Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.
Flooding and landslides have caused extensive damage to houses, properties, public land and roads, resulting in many closures during the long weekend.
A strong wind watch is in place for the Bay of Plenty from 12pm to 5pm today, with a moderate chance of upgrading to a warning, and showers are also forecast over the weekend.
Western Bay of Plenty District Emergency Control Centre controller Scott Parker said the expected wind, combined with already unstable ground conditions, could result in further landslides and fallen trees.
Eight properties have been red-stickered after slip or flood damage in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Parker said six were in the Welcome Bay area and two in Ōmokoroa.
A red placard indicated a building was unsafe to enter, while yellow indicated restricted access due to moderate damage or risks such as unstable ground or adjacent slips.
Yellow placards have been issued to a property in the Welcome Bay area and two in Katikati.
Tauranga City Council emergency management duty controller Gareth Wallis said properties in Welcome Bay, Gate Pā, Bethlehem, and Ōtūmoetai had received rapid assessments, and this work was ongoing.
These mainly focused on buildings with landslip risks.
Two yellow placards have been issued in Gate Pa, one in Bellevue and one in Ōtūmoetai so far.
Wallis said these buildings were considered potentially dangerous and could not be fully occupied.
Mauao
All tracks, access points, and surrounding areas of Mauao are closed until further notice, after large slips made the area unsafe and as rescue efforts continue.
Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park
There are more than a dozen slips in the park, blocking vehicle and pedestrian access and damaging tracks, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said.
The slips remain active, and there is an ongoing risk to public safety.
Mount Drury
Mount Drury is closed as a precautionary measure while the Tauranga City Council assesses any potential risks.
The area, including the playground, will be fenced off while conditions are monitored. The playground will remain closed at least through the long weekend.
Mount Maunganui
Surf Lifesaving NZ eastern region manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said caution was needed if people ventured out into the water.
He said there was a lot of debris in the water, so the guards at Mount Maunganui did not have flags up.
Access to the main beach was restricted.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service chairman Brent Warner said lifeguard patrols would continue as normal.
People could help by swimming between the flags at Tay St, rather than the main beach.
Pāpāmoa
Gibbons-Campbell said the water was murky and full of silt, logs and sticks.
He said a man who went to pick up rubbish at the water’s edge ended up trapped and pinned by a log near the Fresh Choice.
The man’s ankle was badly injured.
Anniversary weekend
Gibbons-Campbell advised people heading to the beach this long weekend to look out for the red and yellow flags.
“Keep an eye out for those logs and debris that could be in the water, and don’t let your kids play in those logs, especially in the shallows.”
Department of Conservation (DoC) Tauranga operations manager John Sutton urged holidaymakers to check their destinations and choose safe options.
“Emergency services have enough on their plates.”
DoC staff were still checking that some popular locations were safe after the severe weather.
When using open DoC tracks, visitors should be alert to the possibility of landslides, washouts, or downed trees.
Holiday parks
The Welcome Bay and Waihī Beach NZMCA motorhome parks and Waihī Beach Tasman Holiday Park are closed, along with Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.
Tauranga
The Waikareao Estuary Walkway (Daisy Hardwick) is closed.
McLarens Falls Park and Ōmanawa Falls
Camping at the park will remain closed for the long weekend. Much of the park is also closed while crews complete risk assessments and remove fallen trees.
Tourism Bay of Plenty said Ōmanawa Falls was closed.
Karangahake Gorge
The gorge remains closed while damage is assessed.
Sutton said it had been particularly hard hit and it would take time for tracks and facilities to recover.
“You might have seen videos of water rushing through the tunnel of the Windows Walk,” Sutton said.
Dickey Flat campsite was closed until further notice.
Matatā
Matatā campsite, near Whakatāne, is closed until Tuesday.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Bay of Plenty system manager Sandra King said roading crews were working to clear slips and reopen vital transport links.
State highways still closed:
“The immediate focus has been getting roads open again, but we may not be out of the woods yet,” King said.
“Over the coming days and weeks, the ground will be very sodden and the roads remain susceptible to movement, potholes, landsides, overslips, and underslips. We urge people to remain extremely careful.”