East Coast communities are again cut off from one another as heavy rain forced evacuations and saw scores of road closures amid bridge washouts, slips and cracked roads.

Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz says it was heartbreaking to see families affected by severe weather again.

'We are feeling the cumulative effects both emotionally and financially. It has been raining non-stop. We are still cut off, there has been slips and landslides in areas where we don't usually see movement. This state has been ongoing since January 10,” says Stoltz.

'We had Cyclone Hale, Cyclone Gabriel, heavy rain at Easter and an orange warning a couple of months ago and here we find ourselves again.”

There, State Highway 50 between Ongaonga and Tikokino was closed due to significant damage to a bridge.

A red heavy rain warning for Gisborne ended on Sunday morning, but the region will be taking stock of significant further damage.

Stoltz has declared a state of emergency in Tairāwhiti, where last night 35 people were staying in evacuation centres. Many more had self-evacuated to friends and family, she says.

The closure of State Highway 35 cut off communities to the north of Gisborne; crews were clearing a slip at Makorori and the highway was closed overnight.

This road was washed out by the Mata River in Tairāwhiti. Photo: Supplied

SH2 was also closed as a result of major damage in the steep and windy Otoko Hill section, leading into the Waioeka Gorge.

It was closed between Whatatutu Rd and Matawai due to severe cracking on Otoko Hill. All planned convoys through this section of road were cancelled on Saturday. A geotech team had inspected the hill and would be reporting back to Waka Kotahi.

The Tairāwhiti District Council had 73 roads listed as weather affected, of which 51 are fully closed.

Heavy rain caused a slip on State Highway 35 north of Tologa Bay Photo:Dion Milner.

Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty flew into Gisborne on Friday night and Stoltz showed him the extent of the damage on Saturday. She says she emphasised how fragile the region's roading network remained.

The mayor is warning residents not to travel if they don't need to.

Stoltz says the council was closely monitoring river levels overnight and will assess the damage on Sunday before reviewing the state of emergency.

Fire and Emergency NZ is supporting the region with a special taskforce.

McAnulty acknowledges Tairāwhiti had faced three emergency weather situations in recent months.

'I saw how the local community and council have once again rallied together. The civil defence team are doing their best to support a community that's feeling tired from all that the weather has thrown at them,” says McAnulty.

He spoke to several people about how they were coping and what further support they needed, he says.

'This event hasn't been as bad as others, but because it's on top of so much rain it is causing so many issues. It was important that I came up to check in with everyone again, and see things for myself.”

The flooded Waipapa River in Hawke's Bay has washed out a bridge on SH50. Photo: Hawke's Bay Regional Council/Supplied.

The National Emergency Management Agency has brought in more support staff from across New Zealand and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Tairāwhiti Civil Defence controller David Wilson says Gisborne residents are being asked to reduce water use as the wastewater system reached capacity.

'To avoid overflow of sewage into private properties please do not flush toilets or do any loads of washing.”

Slips have closed several roads in Tairāwhiti including Gordon Rd. Photo: Supplied.

He says the slow moving weather event caused rivers to rise and land to move as the ground became more and more saturated.

Both the Hikuwai and Waipaoa river levels had risen on Saturday and the road had washed out in the Waioeka Gorge.

He says roading issues were increasing with drop-outs, slumping and landslides. About 300 customers were without power including some in areas were there was no access.

'Bushy Knoll residents are cut-off with no bridge access and no power. The roads are getting too dangerous for the contractors as slips and trees are coming down.”

MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker says Tairāwhiti is set to beat its record for its wettest June. Its highest rainfall ever recorded was 327.9mm in June 1977. As at 5.30pm on Saturday it had reached 326.7mm.

Several of MetService's weather stations – Auckland Airport, Whenuapai, Napier Airport – had recorded their average annual rainfall in just six months.

Joanne Naish/Stuff