Flooding traps city residents

Flooding in Rotorua was more than 2m deep in places and some residents were trapped at home, a few with bubbling toilets, as heavy rains swamped cul de sacs in the city.

Heavy rains yesterday morning flooded areas of the city, particularly Ngongotaha, as the Ngongotaha Stream spilled out.

Some Rotorua residents couldn't leave their homes as flooding had blocked their driveways, particularly in Brookdale Dr and Te Manga Pl, off Western Rd in Ngongotaha.

When The Daily Post visited Brookdale Dr, just less than half of the street was flooded, kids were kayaking in the street, residents were outside talking with each other, cars were parked at the playground and many driveways couldn't be entered or exited by cars because of the flooding.

One Brookdale Dr resident, who didn't want to be identified, said this was the second time the street had been flooded this year. She believed areas of the Ngongotaha Stream, where willows had been removed, would have caved in due to the heavy rains and believed it was part of the reason for the flooding.

"Something has to be done about it."

The woman said some of her neighbours were dealing with bubbling toilets, caused by the flooding.

Another Brookdale Dr resident, who didn't want to be identified, said she had been in the street 16 years and this was the third time it had flooded.

She said the stormwater drains in the street couldn't cope with short, sharp bursts of heavy rain.

Down the road at a park along Western Rd, a strong current of muddy water had taken over a large part of the area.

A footbridge and a raised area where artwork and an information board stood was covered by the floods. A broken picnic table had become stuck in trees, residents were taking photos and only a small amount of grass between the playground and the muddy waters could be seen.

A Western Rd resident said he had only seen the area worse flooded once in the 1980s and estimated yesterday's flooding to have been up to 2 metres deep in some parts of the park.

Despite the flooding, the man expected everything to dry off by today.

At the Agrodome, conference and incentives manager Renee Teddy said they had to cancel their farm tour due to flooding.

The heavy rain also closed part of Edmund Rd near Linton Park for about an hour after a culvert under the road became blocked by debris.

A witness who didn't want to be named said the water level was up to the headlights on cars driving through the flooded area of the road.

"There was just water everywhere. The whole park was covered and all you could see was the trees sticking out.

"One customer called the police to say it was dangerous. It was also running off the hills along Pukehangi like a river. It's the worst I've seen."

The witness said the road was flooded between 7am and 8am. Police closed the road but it re-opened once debris was cleared and the water went down.

When The Daily Post arrived, driftwood was strewn around Linton Park and debris was scattered on the field.

Two Castlecorp workers were clearing debris from the road and had put signs out to warn motorists of the hazard.

Rotorua weatherman Brian Holden said 43ml of rain had fallen by 8am yesterday. Despite the downpour, he said the rainfall for the month was tracking as normal.

Mr Holden said the city had 67ml of rain so far this month, which was about were it should be. On average, August rainfall was about 140ml and along with July was the wettest time of the year.

"We have experienced, everyday rain in some description or another but it's nothing out of the norm. We [currently] have a low pressure system moving over the country so it will be with us for a few more days."

Mr Holden said today should see more rain but not as bad as yesterday.

Meanwhile, heavy rain and debris also caused State Highway 46 between Turangi and National Park to be closed for a period yesterday.

Taupo Civil Defence spokesman Phil Parker said the situation was normal for the area.

The New Zealand Metservice website said today's forecast expected morning rain, then a few showers, westerlies with a high of 14C.

Tomorrow was expected to have some fine spells but there would be showers on Wednesday and Thursday before they cleared by Friday.