Flood threat heads towards Waikato

A flood alert was issued in the Waikato yesterday because low-lying farmland and communities will be threatened by rising river levels over the next 48 hours.

State Highway 1 at Rangiriri may be closed by flooding today as the Waikato River crosses the spillway to Lake Waikare.

Environment Waikato says that while flooding is easing at the southern end of the river at Lake Taupo, it takes several days for the floodwaters to move down the river to the sea, and peaks even higher than in the 1998 flood are expected through the lower Waikato.

The spillway at Rangiriri, used for the first time in 27 years in July 1998, is designed to take floodwaters to the lake when flows are at their peak.

Scott Fowlds, manager of Transit NZ's asset management group, said water was likely to begin flowing across the road from about midday today and the river was expected to peak at Rangiriri at 2am tomorrow.

A peak is expected around 5.30pm tomorrow at Ngaruawahia at 13.7m, at Huntly around 10pm tomorrow at 11m and at Mercer around 3.30pm on Wednesday at 5.46m.

Environment Waikato was yesterday contacting affected landowners and monitoring the situation.

* Residents hit by last month's flooding in the lower North Island breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as swollen rivers receded.

Horizons Regional Council, which covers the Manawatu-Wanganui region, said rivers were receding steadily despite heavy weekend rain.

* Flood damage to Otorohanga Primary School means pupils will have to wait up to two months before they can return to their classrooms.

The rural King Country town was hit by the weekend's heavy rain, causing extensive damage to at least 30 roads and half a dozen homes

* Eight people stranded in a Department of Conservation hut on an island in the Cavalli group near Matauri Bay in Northland have been rescued by the Coastguard.

The group was forced to take shelter on the island after their 12m yacht was driven on to the beach by giant swells as Cyclone Ivy passed.

* In Turangi, holiday home owners have begun to arrive from around the country to mop up after the weekend's floods.

More than half of the 29 homes damaged when the Tongariro River burst its banks are owned by out-of-towners.