Floods hit upper North Island

Flood water covers the road in the Karangahake Gorge today. Picture / Bay of Plenty Times

Torrential rain has closed roads and caused serious surface flooding overnight from Whangaparaoa north of Auckland, through the Coromondel to Waihi and Tauranga.

The Karangahake Gorge between Paeroa and Waihi in the Hauraki District was closed for several hours as a metre of water flowed over the surface of the road.

Worst hit on Whangaparaoa was Red Beach, where a number of buildings were flooded and there was also a problem with tidal flooding. Elsewhere, there are a number of slips around the Torbay area on the North Shore.

The fire service was dealing with dozens of callouts.

Also on the North Shore, an electrical storm knocked out power to sewage pumping stations, leading to sewage spills in Hillcrest, Birkenhead and Beach Haven.

A severe weather warning has been issued for the Bay of Plenty, with MetService predicting rain with isolated heavy thundery downpours in the Kaimai Ranges and west of Whakatane in particular.

There is already surface flooding in parts of Tauranga and some homes have had computer and other electrical problems from lightning.

Police said this morning that several main roads around the Hauraki Plains remained marginal after the rain. Several schools were closed because of the flooding.

Two trucks were stranded in Karangahake Gorge but were on high ground and the drivers were not in danger.

The first calls for help came in at 4am. Police and firefighters had been out since then helping motorists and flooded residents.

Police said the Karangahake Gorge would open at noon. Heavy earthmoving equipment would have to be brought in to clear several slips of rocks and trees.

They had road blocks at either end of the Karangahake Gorge road, at Waihi and Paeroa, but soon after daylight a woman was rescued from her car after she entered the gorge road from a side road, unaware it was flooded.

Senior Sergeant Brian Miller from the Waihi police said the woman drove into flood water and her car stopped.

"She's okay," he said. "Her car is still in the water half way through the gorge. She was lucky."

Mr Miller said the Ohinemuri River through the gorge was flowing fast and was very high but not as high as the disastrous floods of 1981, which swept houses and shops away in the middle of the gorge.

Mr Miller said the water level in the gorge was rising and falling rapidly but it seemed the flood may be abating.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed," he said.

State Highway 26 between Paeroa and Te Aroha was closed, and SH26 between Paeroa and Kopu near Thames was open at first light, but police said it was marginal.

Police said SH25 between Waihi and Whangamata was also closed due to slips and flooding, but later re-opened. SH25 and 25A, at the turn off from Hikuwai to Whangamata, was closed due to flooding from Wharekawa River.

"Parts of many roads in the area are subject to surface flooding and motorists are advised to take extreme care, postpone non-essential travel, and listen to local radio stations for updates," said Inspector Ian Brooker from the police Northern Communications Centre in Auckland.

Additional staff from Thames, Paeroa and Te Aroha were called out to help with the floods and road closures.

At Paeroa on the western side of the Karangahape Gorge there had been a great deal of rain but no flooding.

The road between Paeroa and Kopu was still open but marginal because of the debris strewn across the road and police were advising motorists to take extreme care.

- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB