Waihi locals are in cleanup mode today after heavy rain in the region led to flooding overnight, forcing dozens out of their homes.
The torrential downpour saw roads damaged, footpaths destroyed and floodwaters waist-high in the small Bay of Plenty town.
Around 27 people had to be evacuated last night after water reached their windows.
Dave Bell was evacuated to the local RSA when his neighbourhood was flooded. He’s been living on his street for 14 years and had never seen flooding like last night before.
“I’ve seen it flooded before, but never what it was like yesterday,” he told 1News.
He said it was a “damn nuisance” when the evacuation order came through.
“It wasn’t frightening, I just wanted to get the heck out of there.”
The small coastal settlement took a direct hit from a weather band that passed quickly through the region. (Source: 1News)
His property has been covered in water, with his La-Z-Boy recliner soaked through. But he says he was lucky.
“Other than that, it was only one foot up one side of the unit.”
Brian Thorne, who lives in the same neighbourhood, wasn’t so lucky - having waist-high water pour into his home.
With the waterline visible across the walls, he now has to clean up.
When the rain got really heavy, Thorne was lying in his bed, ready to finish up the day.
“I heard the rain come, and I thought, ‘Boy, this is getting heavier and heavier and heavier I should probably go and have a look’.
“The whole front lawn was ponding up - as it does sometimes - and I thought, ‘Oh, this is getting ridiculous’.”
As the rain kept falling, the water continued to rise, with Thorne describing it as a “river”.
He called his son to help, and soon they were in chest-high water, unable to open the door.
They managed to get out through the back door, but not before the fridge shot across the room in the torrent of mud and rainwater.
“It was scary, really scary,” he said.
“Everything is just destroyed.”
Now, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever move back to his home.
"I’ve managed to save a few photos and that, but that's it.”
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer told 1News said the flooding was “devastating”.
“The suddenness and the volume of the flood was quite surprising.
“I just feel for all the people out there.”
He said that, as of right now, there had been a rapid building assessment with a cleanup effort in the works.
“I want to pay tribute to the resilience and the preparedness our residents have shown.
“They’ve helped each other out.”
“Everyone pulled together and worked as a community.”
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