Flood waters wash through Northland house: 'It was so quick'

Flood waters washed through the back half of a Northland home on Monday. Photo/ Supplied

A five-minute flash flood will mean months of cleanup and renovation for a Northland home owner after a deluge washed through a property on Queen's Birthday.

Mel Meyer, who lives not far from Tangiteroria, thought she might get a sleep-in on Monday but instead found herself watching the flood waters rapidly rise.

She yelled for her partner to get out of bed - quickly.

"I thought it was a fair bit of rain and then within five minutes it was washing through the back of our place and into the house. It was so quick."

She tried to stem the flow by stuffing sheets, towels and duvets under the doors but it did little and the bottom half of the house was quickly awash.

Meyer said three steps led down to the back part of the house where there was a shower, laundry, four freezers and her partner's motorbike.

"The water was up to our knees and up to the second step."

As soon as the water started rising, Meyer turned off the electricity.

She said she had lived at the property for 13 years with her partner, who had been there for more than 20, and this was the first flooding incident.

Meyer said the nearest river was about 10km away but she suspected runoff from the surrounding Tangihua Ranges may have been the cause.

As the murky flood water receded the silt and sludge remained in the lower part of the house and all over the paths and lawn outside.

And the massive cleanup began.

"It's the first time I've used a waterblaster inside but it was needed ... it was so gross."

But it was the smell that was the worst.

"I've got all sorts of air fresheners around the place after cleaning up with Janola."

The MetService is predicting cloudy periods today with a few showers, mainly in the west at first, becoming widespread and possibly heavy from midday.

There was also a chance of a thunderstorm at night. Southwesterlies would be strong in exposed places from late morning.

For tomorrow fine spells are expected with just a few showers in the west and fresh southerlies.