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Home / New Zealand

Flooding lashes North Island as snow dumps fall on South Island skifields

NZ Herald
29 Apr, 2018 05:00 PM3 mins to read

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Footage of a Rotorua woman evacuated from her flooding home in Ngongotaha.

A State of Emergency was declared in Ngongotaha and the Rotorua Lakes Council was forced to activate its Emergency Operations Centre as wet weather forced evacuations and doused most of the country in large volumes of rain.

The good news is the rain is expected to ease by Tuesday and had brought ideal conditions for snow in the South Island.

A complex low bringing bands of rain to northern and eastern parts of both islands affected most of New Zealand yesterday with more expected today. The rain is expected to begin clearing tomorrow.

Rotorua received a downpour of 120mm in 18 hours, with 81mm falling in just four hours between 7am and 11am on Sunday.

MetService meteorologist Melissa Oosterwijk said rain was the dominant weather type over the weekend.

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The Coromandel Hills at Golden Valley had 117mm of rain in 18 hours.

"We are expecting the complex low which was slow to move over in the weekend, to continue affecting us tomorrow (Monday) then slowly move away on Tuesday."

Ngongotaha residents were in turmoil as floodwaters trapped locals and forced others to evacuate their homes.

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Water went through at least 30 properties on Ngongotaha's Western Rd after a stream burst its banks on Sunday afternoon.

The wet weather caused the Rotorua Lakes Council to activate its Emergency Operations Centre and civil defence teams were mobilised.

"Some pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant are unable to cope with the volume of water trying to enter."

Ngongotaha's Western Rd was inundated with water, causing several emergency call-outs across the Rotorua District. Photo / Ben Fraser
Ngongotaha's Western Rd was inundated with water, causing several emergency call-outs across the Rotorua District. Photo / Ben Fraser

"This has caused overflowing and diluted sewage to overflow the system, which means there is contaminated wastewater entering the stream and lake," Rotorua Lakes Council's Bruce Horne said.

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The rain has overwhelmed the sewerage system, he said.

Among those trapped in Ngongotaha were about 200 visitors at the Agrodome farm experience tourist attraction.

Ines Friese, who lives on Pioneer Rd, has been left scared after water from the Ngongotaha Stream "raced down the road" towards her.

"We were just dropping something to my mother-in-law around the corner on Mohi Cres, water just came shooting down the street.

Flooding in Rotorua. Cormac Davis, 12, .  Moncur Dr. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Kuirau Park.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Rotorua Boys' High School. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Tony McClaughlin. Moncur dr.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Bryce Morrison. Waikite clubrooms. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Tarewa Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Lake Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Kaylee Browne outside her home on Lake Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Lakefront.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Tarewa Rd.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Te Ngae Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Byron Grove. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding in Rotorua. Kaylee Browne inside her home on Lake Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Pioneer Rd in Ngongotaha.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Pioneer Rd in Ngongotaha. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Pioneer Rd in Ngongotaha. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Western Rd.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Pioneer Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Pioneer Rd.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding at the Agrodome.   Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding at Agrodome. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Elizabeth St.   Photo/Ben Fraser
Flooding on Elizabeth St.   Photo/Ben Fraser
Savannah Rogers, 11. Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Savannah Rogers, 11. Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Brooke Ellis with her children Lexus Rogers, 8, and Savannah Rogers, 11. Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Elke Semple. Life Pharmacy. Flooding.Photo/Stephen Parker
Civil Defence controller Bruce Horne, Minister of Civil Defence Kris Faafoi and Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick at a press stand up in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Debbie Parry, right and Alison. Flooding in Ngongotaha.  Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Troy Parry. Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Heidi Te Are. Flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Jenny Pollard beside her caravan which had been moved by flooding in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
John Healey's flooded house in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
John Healey's flooded house in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding clean-up in Ngongotaha. Alex Cookson and Glenn Armstrong. Photo/Stephen Parker
Craig Kusabs, left, and Colin Tremain. Tumunui tomo that formed on farmland. The hole on Tumunui South Farm is 200m long and 20m deep. Photo/Stephen Parker
Matt Ward at his property in Paradise Valley. Flooding clean-up. Photo/Stephen Parker-
Colin Tremain, left, and Craig Kusabs. Tumunui tomo that formed on farmland. The hole on Tumunui South Farm is 200m long and 20m deep. Photo/Stephen Parker
Daniel Voss. Flooding clean-up in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker -
Kjell and Rebecca Gudmundsen. Flooding clean-up in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Peter Spencer says this drain should have been clearing water, instead it's where the flood waters came from. Flooding clean-up in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Craig Kusabs, left, and Colin Tremain. Tumunui tomo that formed on farmland. The hole on Tumunui South Farm is 200m long and 20m deep.Photo/Stephen Parker
Flooding clean-up on Brookdale Drive in Ngongotaha. Photo/Stephen Parker
Craig Kusabs, left, and Colin Tremain. Tumunui tomo that formed on farmland. The hole on Tumunui South Farm is 200m long and 20m deep. Photo/ Stephen Parker
Steve Brake says he wouldn't consider living anywhere else.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Miriam Hewson says the family doesn't expect to be back in their Oakland Pl house till summer.  Photo/Ben Fraser
Male lion Xander had a bit of fun in his enclosure's new water feature, leaping to an "island" at Paradise Valley Springs. PHOTO / SUPPLIED
Rotorua Duck Tours help.
Medical Officer of Health for Toi Te Ora Public Health Dr Phil Shoemack, (right), and Acting Civil Defence controller Bruce Horne have delivered a flood recovery update from the Rotorua Lakes Council .

Image 1 of 61: Flooding in Rotorua. Cormac Davis, 12, . Moncur Dr. Photo/Ben Fraser

"I ran to check she was okay and saw a caravan floating down the road."

A woman was also rescued from her car on her way to KFC during a day full of emergency call-outs caused by flooding, slips and tree falls in Rotorua.

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Ngongotaha Volunteer Fire Service Chief Francis Boag said an inundation of calls started about 7am.

"All the guys are busy and totally soaking wet," he said just after 10am.

He said the brigade's two crews had been all over Ngongotaha, Hamurana and Rotorua.

"We are going from one call to the other, all flooding related."

MetService had a heavy rain watch in place for Gisborne and Hawkes Bay until 9am this morning.

In the Coromandel SH25 Whangamata to Waihi was closed due to flooding.

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A 30cm fresh dump of snow fell on he Remarkables Ski field on Saturday night.
A 30cm fresh dump of snow fell on he Remarkables Ski field on Saturday night.

However, in the South Island, skiers and snowboarders had something to celebrate with Cardrona Alpine Resort getting 50cm of snow, Coronet Peak 35cm and The Remarkables ski resort recording 20cm over the weekend.

On the coast of the South Island the usually dry South and Mid Canterbury recorded 50mm of rain in Timaru and Ashburton, causing surface flooding in several of the two towns' streets.

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