Multiple slips, flooding and school closures are being reported as the region cleans up after intense rainfall.
Weather warnings were due to be lifted for the region early today but more rain was forecast.
Ministry of Education Deputy Secretary Te Tai Whenua Central Jocelyn Mikaere said Te Puke High School and three early learning services in the Eastern Bay of Plenty were closed today.
In a post on social media, Te Puke High School said: “Go Bus has notified the school that due to the current weather bomb their buses are currently trapped at their depot. They have decided that school buses will not be running tomorrow [Wednesday].
“As a consequence, unfortunately, Te Puke High School will need to close.”
“With more water collecting from the hills, the decision has been made to close the bridge for safety reasons until the water subsides.
“The detour for northbound traffic is through Tāneatua Rd, Arawa Rd, Hinemoa St and State Highway 30 towards Awakeri. Southbound traffic will use the same route, in reverse.”
SH29 is open between McLaren Falls Rd and Ōmanawa Rd under Stop/Go traffic management and delays are expected.
Motorist Jade Wade told the Bay of Plenty Times she was stuck on State Highway 29 on the Kaimai Range for more than an hour last night after becoming trapped between a washout of rocks and mud and a large slip at McLaren Falls Rd.
This afternoon, Waka Kotahi revealed the “extreme” weather and Tauranga traffic combined to create a two-hour delay in clearing the slips blocking SH29.
The agency told the Bay of Plenty Times it received reports of flooding, mud and debris on the highway late Wednesday afternoon.
“The volume of traffic in and around Tauranga, combined with the intense weather conditions resulted in an approximate two hour delay for contractors getting to this site.
“Contractors began clearing the road around 6.45pm and the road was reopened by 9pm with a temporary speed limit in place overnight.”
Meanwhile, SH2 was closed at Maniatutu, between the Tauranga Eastern Link and Pikowai Beach, due to flooding at the Kaikokopu Stream Bridge. A short detour is in place via Paengaroa.
SH2 is open for southbound traffic between Barrett Rd and Youngson Rd while the northbound lane is closed with a detour. SH36 remains closed between Jackson Rd and Central Rd in Hamurana due to flooding.
Several roads are affected by slips, including a washout on Kumikumi Rd and a smaller washout on Tebutt Rd.
Western Bay of Plenty Council said there were multiple slips across Poripori Rd, near the State Highway 29 end. Waitao Rd is closed as a slip is covering both lanes, slips over Mountier Rd were to be assessed today, and there is a slip covering one lane of Upper Ohauiti Rd.
Tauranga City Council Civil Defence duty controller Sarah Omundsen said PowerCo will be on Cambridge Rd today to assess and secure the powerlines damaged by a slip.
Kopurereru Valley at the end of Faulkner St in Gate Pa. Photo / Alex Cairns
Cambridge Rd between Wakefield Dr and St Andrews Dr is closed until the council can complete a detailed assessment of the slip with a geotechnical engineer.
She said she hoped to provide an update on the slip after the assessments and powerlines were secured.
A combination of peak flows in rivers and the high tide resulted in the closure of Ōropi Rd bridge from around 8pm until the river levels reduced.
Metservice duty meteorologist Mmaphapelo Makgabutlane said Tauranga Airport had measured about 71mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 6am today, while across the Coromandel, 50mm to 60mm of rainfall was recorded with 78mm of rain recorded at Metservice’s Goldcross station.
Some places in the region, Makgabutlane said, received a “torrential” downpour.
“Rotorua within the last 24 hours has had 114mm of rain. In a typical May, Rotorua would get around 142mm.”
Makgabutlane said Galatea received 92mm of rain in the same time period.
The heaviest rainfall in Rotorua occurred between 4pm and 5pm yesterday when 44mm fell in the one hour. The hour before that 20mm fell.
Tree down in the Karangahake Gorge this morning. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence said this morning new potholes are likely to have formed overnight after the wet weather and motorists should watch their speed.
It asked people to plan their journey and expect delays given the several road closures, including state highways.
It said the heavy rain warning had passed but people needed to be aware there could be surface flooding in areas, especially those low-lying.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council said the Ōhineangaanga Stream in Te Puke burst its banks and Donovan Park flooded, and there were also reports of flooding in Little Waihī Beach, however all residents were okay.
Road block at Barretts Rd at Whakamarama this morning. Photo / Alex Cairns
Rivers hit second warning levels
Bay of Plenty Regional Council duty flood manager Peter Blackwood said the Whakatāne River had passed the second warning level and was expected to peak this afternoon.
The river was spilling on to land, but still well within the stopbank area.
Several local roads were flooded in the area (Awahou Rd, Reid Rd, Taneatua Rd and Rewatu Rd) and they had been temporarily closed but full access would be available on Friday morning.
People were urged to keep an eye on the Whakatāne District Council’s Facebook page for updates.
The Kaituna River also reached its second warning level, peaking overnight, and both the Waioeka and Otara Rivers were now receding, Blackwood said.
“Significant stormwater flooding also occurred in Tauranga and through the Western Bay of Plenty and at its peak, Katikati Tauranga and the Rangitaiki catchment all experienced up to 50mm of rainfall in a one-hour period.”
“Our staff on the ground are busy fielding calls from landowners and manning flood pumps.”
He said while the weather system had passed, river and drainage water levels were still high and some may keep rising. Monitoring would continue.
He said several of Eastern Bay rivers reached the first warning level overnight on already very saturated land.
Matahina Dam continued to spill to lower levels in Lake Matahina and relieve pressure off the lower part of the Rangitāiki River.
There was a lot of rain in the upper catchment, he said, making the lake high which is why the controlled spilling continued.
While the heavy weather warning had lifted, there was more rain forecast for the next 24 hours and he said the regional council would continue to monitor the situation from its Flood Room.
Thames-Coromandel District Council said there may have been water supply issues in the Matatoki, Puriri and Omahu water supply systems south of Thames, and a water tanker was put at Puriri overnight for anyone who needed fresh water.
