The 309 bypass road, a dirt road linking the east and west of the peninsula, was closed on Thursday morning after a van crash. (File picture) Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding, causing multiple slips and closing multiple roads in Coromandel.
Thames Coromandel District Council emergency management head Garry Towler said 300 millimetres of rain had fallen in the past two days.
Highways from Whangamatā through Hikuai to Whitianga were all closed, and there had been power outages, Towler said.
The crucial 309 bypass road, a dirt road linking the east and west of the peninsula, was also closed after a van crash.
Towler said residents should expect the roads to stay closed for much of the day, with rain continuing on Thursday morning.
High tide is at 1pm.
Rain, some heavy, is forecast for the Coromandel, eastern BoP and parts of Gisborne.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) December 13, 2022
Given the expected intensity and amounts, localised flooding and slips are possible.
Something to keep in mind if you live or will be traveling in these areas today and Thursday. pic.twitter.com/HdrgpLjKlN
In the past 12 weeks, the area had had more than 1.7m of rain, saturating the catchments, Towler said.
"The rivers just can't handle it when you get the amount of rain we've had in the last three months."
Holidaymakers planning to go to the Coromandel should delay their trip if they could, he said.
"We've no reported issues of flooding in the urban areas, there's no evacuations, it's just the continued deluge that is impacting the roading network."
Lines crews had not been able to get through to check on the reported power outages.
