Floodwaters and slips have closed Bay of Plenty highways, and water will be spilled from the Matahina Dam, as authorities continue to monitor river levels following yesterday’s deluge.

State Highway 2 Matawai Rd, between Gisborne and Ōpōtiki, was closed due to slips and downed trees and there was no suitable detour.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said contractors were clearing the slip and the road was expected to reopen later this afternoon.

SH2 at Waimana Gorge, near Whakatāne, was also closed between Tāneatua and Kutarere due to flooding.

A detour is available via Ōhope. For eastbound traffic, turn left on to Taneatua Rd, continue on to Valley Rd, right on to Gorge Rd, right on to Ohope Rd, continue on to Pohutakawa Rd, continue on to Wainui Rd, then left on to SH2. For westbound traffic, the reverse route applies.

This route is not suitable for heavy vehicles, NZTA said.

“There is some risk that the detour route may also have to close due to the rising floodwater in that area. Road users are advised to drive with caution and delay travel if possible.”

Heavy rain and thunderstorms lashed much of the upper North Island overnight, but the MetService rain radar showed the worst of the thunderstorms had moved to the east of the country.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council duty flood manager Roger Waugh said the council’s flood room was activated at 6.30am and has provided warnings across the major river schemes east of Te Puke.

He said the operations team were checking the condition of flood infrastructure and drainage systems, assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out floodwaters from affected drainage canals.

The regional council advised via social media that stock on low-lying land immediately beside the Rangitāiki River, and particularly in areas upstream from Te Teko, be moved to higher ground due to a risk of flooding.

This warning did not apply to areas protected by stopbanks and there was no risk of flooding in Edgecumbe or the Rangitāiki Plains area, the regional council said.

Significant rainfall had been recorded in the Rangitāiki catchment over the 24 hours to about midday today and the present river inflows into the Matahina Dam exceeded generation capacity.

Manawa Energy advised that water will be spilled from the dam. The increased river flow meant floodwater might cover land immediately beside the Rangitāiki River.

“Our staff are monitoring the situation closely and will provide further advice, as required.”

Whakatāne District Council said there were pockets of flooding and debris on the road, including trees down on Galatea Rd.

In a social media post, the council said trees and a powerline were down in Matatā.

There were reports of multiple power outages across the district, including in Whakatāne, Galatea and Murupara.

About 8.30am, the Horizon Networks website listed two unplanned power outages from weather-related damage.

A Tauranga City Council spokeswoman said the council received nine weather-related calls between 8pm and 8am.

Six reported localised flooding due to blocked stormwater grates – mainly in the Avenues and into the Tauriko/Lakes area.

“We have responded to every call and our drainage crews will be doing a heavy rain check today to ensure important outlets are still clear.”

The spokeswoman said the council’s arborists responded to a couple of minor incidents such as fallen branches on footpaths.

Desmond Barnard, Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s network operations and maintenance manager, said the council received seven calls after 8pm last night in response to the heavy rain and strong winds affecting parts of the district.

Barnard said the majority of calls were related to localised flooding and fallen trees in eastern areas of the district, including Welcome Bay, Paengaroa, Pukehina and Te Puke.

“We’d like to extend a big thank you to the community for contacting us and reporting these issues – it allows us to respond quickly and keep our district safe.”

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said fire crews responded to 19 weather-related callouts in the wider Bay of Plenty area between 8pm Wednesday and 6.45am today – the majority between 11pm and 2am.

“All but two of these incidents were for trees down. One was for a roof lifting on a carport while another was for a power pole sparking.

”These incidents were spread out, stretching from just east of Te Puke to just north of Tanatana [south of Ōpōtiki]. There were none in Tauranga or Western Bay of Plenty."

None of the incidents still required a Fire and Emergency response this morning, the spokesperson said.

Rotorua Lakes Council, via its website, advised motorists to take extra care on Rotorua roads today due to debris from last night’s storm.

Council contractors dealt with three callouts last night – minor surface flooding in Clayton Rd where they cleared a grate, clearing a tree from across Okere Rd, and clearing a sign that had blown on to the road on Koutu Rd.

Between midnight and 7.35am today, they were called to clear four treefalls (Matahi Rd, Owhata Rd, Te Kopia Rd and Apirana Rd) and two slips were reported on Tutukau Rd, which crews were assessing today.

“Crews are also out today across the district to check for any other storm damage and have reported windblown debris on a number of roads.”

Between 10am and midday today, crews have dealt with a treefall on Maniatutu Rd and put out signs to warn of slips which require further clean-up.

There were also several treefalls on Okaro Rd and Ann Sts, which crews are cleaning up. Signs have been put in place at underslips on Te Kopia Rd and Dunkirk Rd and treefalls have been reported on Rotoehu Rd, Pongakawa Valley Rd and Lake Okataina Rd.

Taupō Civil Defence said the Tauranga-Taupō River near Tūrangi had peaked and evacuations were unlikely.

“Flow data shows that the Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi has likely now peaked. The river level is expected to begin to fall.”

Earlier, LandSar teams visited about 70 properties in the area to advise people to prepare to evacuate if necessary.

Most of the places were holiday homes and only 20 properties were occupied, with about 35 people total.

Civil Defence centres set up in Tūrangi and Taupō were expected to be stood down later today.