Friends needed to muck in, again

Rhonda Connor in her garden after flooding (right) and how it was pictured in the 'Mucking In' book. Photos / Alan Gibson, Dean Purcell

A made-for-television garden - complete with dozens of plants and two fish ponds - has been ruined by flooding.

Whakatane resident Rhonda Connor was among hundreds of people affected by torrential rain in the Bay of Plenty this week.

Yesterday more than 160 homes and businesses had flood damage in the storm-battered region, where a record 101mm of rain fell in about two hours.

Emergency services were called out to hundreds of properties damaged by the rain, which flooded roads and homes.

About 140 people were evacuated and emergency services were forced to close several roads.

Ms Connor was yesterday clearing debris, collecting firewood that had floated down the driveway and hosing down the area surrounding her garden, which had been a much-used entertainment spot for her family and friends.

The mother-of-two had her front lawn spruced up as part of the popular Jim Mora-hosted TV One programme Mucking In.

After three Christmases and "loads" of barbecues and parties with friends in the garden, all that is left is mud - and lots of it.

"You could have a mud-wrestling match over here, it's so bad," she said.

"The whole thing is just covered. We had two fish ponds and they're both filled in. We have 60 goldfish - I don't know if any have survived."

Ms Connor, who set up the alternative education school Te Ara Kowhiri, was nominated for the show for her work in helping troubled youth in the community.

The Mucking In team, with help from Ms Connor's friends and family, spent two days landscaping the property.

Garden designer for the show Tony Murrell last night said he distinctly remembered Ms Connor and the garden they built and was sad to hear it had been ruined.

"How disappointing that the whole thing has been wiped out by the flood," he said. "But we put in some plants that I think would have been resilient through the flood - I hope they've survived."

The show has finished for this season and there was no chance that the Mucking In team would be able to restore the garden. Mr Murrell said he hoped Ms Connor's family and friends would help her clean up.

"She has some amazing friends. I think it should be a sort of get the mates back together to resurrect the garden."

Insurance assessors and building control staff have been looking at the damage and potential health risks in the region, while the Whakatane District Council has called in extra staff to help with the assessment.

- additional reporting NZPA