Roads between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki were cut off from midday Wednesday until yesterday morning because of flooding.

Both State Highway 2 and Wainui Road, which provide the only two road links between the two districts, were closed from just before midday on Wednesday, with no detours available.

Whakatāne District Council and New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi staff, contractors and emergency crews worked around the clock restoring both roads between 8.30am and 9am yesterday morning.

Whakatāne district councillor Andrew Iles, who has lived in Waimana for over 40 years, said it was the first time in his memory that both roads had been cut off, isolating the Ōpōtiki district completely from the rest of the Bay of Plenty.

Traffic management remained in place in some areas last night, including at a road washout on the Waimana Gorge Road.

Heavy rain over Tuesday and Wednesday had led to widespread slips, surface flooding and road washouts, resulting in road closures, access restrictions and temporary isolation for parts of the district.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council rain gauge at Awahou Road in Rūātoki  recorded over 130mm of rain on Tuesday and another 100 on Monday, while the Nukuhou North rain gauge recorded about 200mm over the two days.

For many residents, the closures had major impacts on daily life, travel, and access to essential services.

Whakatāne district duty controller Nicholas Woodley said the reopening of the roads yesterday was a significant milestone, but urged motorists to remain vigilant.

“While we’re pleased to have restored connection with our neighbours in the Ōpōtiki district, the roads are still in a fragile state and we’re asking everyone to drive with extreme care,” Mr Woodley said.

Parts of Wainui Road, Waiotahe Bluffs and Waimana Gorge were still reduced to one lane yesterday.

Rūātoki was also advised to boil water as the heavy rain had caused the water treatment plant not to work. This is the third time in two months that boil notices have been issued for this water supply.

Marae opens doors to stranded travellers

Travellers caught between Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne by flooding on Wednesday night were given refuge at Kutarere Marae.

Kutarere woman Curley Keno said vehicles started arriving in the village in droves at about 12pm as flood water blocked roads in both directions.

Ōpōtiki District Council was notified about 10 minutes later that people were stranded at the marae. About 70 people from 44 cars and 17 truck and trailer units stayed the night at the marae, where they were provided with food, drinks and beds.

“Originally, there had been 50 cars, but some of them turned around and headed back to Ōpōtiki.”

Ms Keno said the response from the council was slow, with a small amount of kai delivered at about 9.30pm, after the village had already gathered enough food and blankets for everyone. Blankets and towels were delivered at about 11.30pm, after the people were already asleep.

“We were grateful for what we did get from the council, but not happy with the slow response.

“What they were appreciative of was having the toilets and the showers there, and the kai of course.”

Ms Keno said about 15 of the stranded people were elderly with mobility issues, so they needed a lot of care.

She said several people had been headed to Auckland for appointments or to catch flights in Hamilton.

“One elderly lady had to be in the North Shore by 11.50am [on Thursday] for an operation she had been waiting for, for some time. She had missed her flight from Gisborne [on Wednesday], so she had decided to drive from Gisborne to make her appointment, only to be stranded in Kutarere.”

Yesterday was a clean-up day at the marae and on a number of properties in Kutarere, mopping up silt that had been left from the flooding.

The marae itself was flooded, with water lapping at the doorway of the wharekai.