The New Zealand MetService issued a severe weather warning with heavy rain forecast in Northland at midday yesterday.

It said there would be heavy rain, isolated thunderstorms and downpours.

The heavy rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, surface flooding, slips, and hazardous driving conditions.

The warning comes after large parts of the eastern Bay of Plenty experienced flooding after 24 hours of heavy rain.

People were advised to keep up-to-date with the latest forecasts in case other areas are added to the warning.

MetService is expecting 70-100mm of rain to accumulate with peak intensities of 25-40mm per hour, possibly more.

A severe weather watch was in place for the central North Island with thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon and evening.

Thunderstorms wre likely for western parts of Auckland, across the central high country to inland Hawke’s Bay – including inland western parts of Bay of Plenty and Rotorua – and could be accompanied by torrential rain of 25-50mm or more per hour, MetService said.

Floodwater is covering large parts of the eastern Bay of Plenty after 24 hours of heavy rain.

Opotiki dairy farmer Dean Petersen said 80 per cent of his farm was covered in floodwater following 200mm of rain.

Locals have reported that several large rivers appear to have burst their banks.

Opotikii District Council said the Otara River, which runs through the town, has recorded its highest-ever level.

The council has activated its emergency operations centre and put portaloos out because the town’s wastewater system has broken down.

Petersen farms on the banks of the swollen Otara and Waiotahe rivers, and said floodwaters are covering most of his land.

“On one of the properties the regional council had done some river protection work and had just finished, and floodwater has breached that again and its come into our land.

“We haven’t had this for three or four years now – you’ve just got to deal with it when it happens.”

Meanwhile, some forecast models are showing the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Gita, which smashed through Tonga overnight, getting to New Zealand in about a week.

“There’s still a risk it could come down and pass across New Zealand in just over a week’s time but it’s not something we have any definitive answer on just yet,” Met-Service tropical cyclone forecaster Matthew Ford said.

“There’s a spread of possibilities.”

If the remnants of Gita do reach New Zealand in a week to 10 days, Ford said it was most likely the northern half of New Zealand would be affected.

“In a couple more day’s time hopefully the models will have settled down and we will have a bit more of a consistent picture of what’s going to happen.”

WeatherWatch said computer models had been agreeing for days that Gita would swing out into the Tasman Sea then curve back around and make a direct hit into New Zealand. - PNC