Fallen tree blocking Hamurana Rd cleared

The State Highway 33 end of Hamurana Rd at Mourea finally reopened yesterday evening, after council workers cleared the large tree blocking both lanes.

The tree was down across the road about 1km from the State Highway 33 intersection.

According to the Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page, crews were completing the final clean up yesterday and the road was due to reopen by 5pm.

"Further debris will need to be tidied over the next few days so take care when travelling through the area."

The council stated on its website on Monday that the road was still closed yesterday as "it was too dangerous for contractor crews to clear last night due to falling debris".

"A check of the site this morning shows pine trees on top of the bank have been completely uprooted and fallen across the road with some minor slip debris."

Wind speeds of up to 80km/h were recorded in the Bay on Sunday night, with Rotorua seeing most of the heavy rain, according to MetService.