Rotorua flooding worst Ngongotaha residents have seen

Peter Spencer says this drain should have been working but instead it's where the water came from. Photo / Stephen Parker

Some Ngongotaha residents believe poor maintenance of the suburb's stream may have contributed to it breaching and the flooding.

Peter Spencer has lived in the suburb for 23 years and said this wasn't the first time the area had been badly flooded, but it was the worst he had seen "by a long shot".

Peter Spencer says this drain should have been working but instead it's where the water came from. Photo / Stephen Parker

"The morning before it happened, a blue gum tree went across the river. That's an instant dam," he said.

"No one would have had a chance to clean it up and nobody could have visualised the problem it would have caused."

Simon Short, owner of Velocity Valley (formerly Agroventures), said extreme weather events were becoming more commonplace and when the water rose on Sunday, it was

about 10mm from entering the park reception building.

Simon Short, owner of Velocity Valley, has planted native trees and spent time clearing the stream in the past. Photo / Stephen Parker

Short said he had taken it upon himself to clear out the river behind the adventure park.

He had also planted native trees along the riverbed to try and stop rising water.

"As soon as trees get older and fall into the river they create a dam. I've spent more than $20,000 keeping it clear," he said.

"Admittedly I don't think we could have done anything about Sunday, but there's no doubt there's a major problem with the clearance of the river."

The park was closed for a clean-up on Monday but reopened today.

Workers from Velocity Valley try to clean away the mud and silt. Photo / Stephen Parker

Paradise Valley Springs was still closed today for a clean-up.

On its website it said: "Our animals are all safe and well but the park has taken a huge battering. Much of it is superficial (mud, branches etc), but there is a bit of structural work to be done also."

It said the stream had washed through trout pools, animal enclosures and buildings, leaving mud and silt.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council integrated catchments general manager Chris Ingle said the council and civil defence staff were supporting recovery efforts led by Rotorua Lakes Council.

"Our staff have been out in the field, recording the extent of the flooding and flood levels at Ngongotaha, making sure flood and lake level control systems are operating well," he said.

Ingle said the "extreme, intense weather event" resulted in 100-year flows.

He said extreme weather last year had badly affected parts of the Ngongotaha Stream, upstream of Sunday's floods.

"The regional council funded targeted debris removal work along the affected stream reach, in partnership with Rotorua Lakes Council, to clear major debris out of the channel, as a one-off response to unique circumstances."

He said the council offered subsidised support to landowners requesting assistance with stream works which would reduce erosion and flood risk. This included clearing debris.

Ingle said the stop logs at the Ohau Channel weir and Okere Gates were opened on Saturday in response to the forecast.

"The outlets are currently flowing at full capacity to relieve lake levels in both Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti and will remain fully open until normal lake levels return."

When previously asked if there had been reductions in maintenance in recent years in clearing drains which might have contributed to the flood, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said she didn't believe so.

"Clearing the drains was not the answer to the tumultuous amount of water that gathered up in the hills and then swept down here and completely overwhelmed a village."