A person has been rescued from floodwaters. Photo: 123RF
Access to Ōpōtiki in Bay of Plenty is currently cut off due to flooding and multiple road closures.
Whakatāne District Council has activated its Emergency Operations Centre in response to the situation.
Meanwhile, a person has been rescued from floodwaters.
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said staff were alerted at 3pm after a person drove into flood waters in Ōpōtiki. They said the person, who was sitting on their car roof, was rescued by staff.
Flooding has closed State Highway 2, near Ōpōtiki, between Taneatua and Paerata Ridge Road, Ōpōtiki (east of Waiotahe Cliffs).
"With several local road closures in the area, Whakatāne District Council has advised that there is currently no route available between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki," NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said.
"Significant disruption and delays are expected, and people are urged to avoid all non-essential travel in the area."
Whakatāne District Council said Wainui Road is underwater, with surface flooding exceeding 200mm. The council said that the road was expected to remain closed overnight.
The council warned that tsunami surges from the from the Kamchatka earthquake could push extra water onto already-flooded areas like Wainui Road, which may delay its reopening further.
The council said residents who lived between Ōhope and Harrisons Road in Wainui could access their properties. McCoy Road and Stanley Road were accessible via Harrisons Road but slips meant that drivers should take extreme care, it said.
The council said anyone who was not able to get home and could not stay with friends or family could call 07 306 0500 for accommodation support.
State Highway 30 between Tiketere and State Highway 34 has been reopened with stop/go traffic management after multiple slips closed the road on Wednesday morning.
NZTA is urging people who must drive in the area to slow down, increase following distances and drive to the conditions. It also said to watch for surface flooding, slips, and debris and avoid driving through floodwaters.
"At this time, there is no confirmed timeframe for reopening either route. Conditions remain changeable, and river levels are still rising," Local Duty Controller Nicholas Woodley said.
"We understand how difficult this is for our communities - especially for those who may now be unable to get home, and with uncertain timeframes."
MetService cancelled more than a dozen weather alerts across the country on Wednesday morning, as a front moves away to the east of the country.
The country has been lashed by wet and wild weather over the past two days, causing slips, power outages, localised flooding and downed trees.
The rain band is still sitting over the Coromandel Peninsula. In the ranges around 175mm fell while low-lying areas such as Whangamatā received 170mm.
"So yes there has definitely been a lot of rain moving over the country but fortunately that rain band is starting to clear. It is just going to continue to affect Bay of Plenty and it is yet to clear the Coromandel Peninsula," MetService head of weather news Heather Keats told Morning Report.
Meanwhile, Bay of Plenty Civil Defence has been receiving reports of localised flooding, as rain continues to lash the region.
