News

A "small number" of Whakatane residents have been evacuated from their homes after a hole was found in a stopbank.

Whakatane District Council opened a welfare centre at the War Memorial Hall to shelter the Fortunes and Paroa roads residents.

Civil Defence controller Diane Turners said the evacuation was a precautionary measure.

More wet weather is forecast this morning after many parts of the North Island were ravaged by rain and gales yesterday.

Swollen Bay of Plenty rivers could burst their banks as the battered region braces for more surface flooding.

Last night the eastern Bay of Plenty town of Opotiki was isolated after heavy rain caused flooding and slips on all the roads into town.

Parts of the north and east of the North Island had some big falls overnight and the Bay of Plenty should see conditions ease a little this afternoon.

Localised downpours have occurred in a number of areas causing some surface flooding and making driving conditions hazardous.

Flooding and slips have closed roads in the Bay of Plenty as heavy rain continues to batter the region.

The downpours are expected until early tomorrow, with up to 200mm predicted in the ranges and 100mm in low-lying areas.

It's not uncommon for a TV network to be flooded with letters, emails, phone calls, etc.

But today, the flooding at TV3 was of the watery kind.

The network is mopping up after a deluge in the building this morning.

It happened when an air-conditioner broke down. Water hit up to five computers, meaning the current affairs programme The Nation couldn't be broadcast.

Last night temperatures remained in double digits basically right across the North Island but overhead conditions were anything but settled.

Rain will continue to blanket much of the country this weekend, with heavy falls expected in the north, forecasters say.

Heavy rain was predicted for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Taupo, Bay of Plenty and the Gisborne ranges today.

It's been a tough year for Mt Hutt skifield, with three deaths, an avalanche and now 1200 skiers trapped this week in bad weather.

Mt Hutt skifield boss Dave Wilson said he did not think Thursday night, when bad weather trapped mountaingoers, would turn skiers off Mt Hutt.

He said skifield staff had received a lot of positive comments from skiers.

 Although it shouldn't be chilly, skies are expected to be burdened with plenty of cloud along with showers and rain today across much of New Zealand.

Although sunshine was sparse today, temperatures were generally milder than the August average with temperatures nearing 20 degrees in inland Canterbury with Culverden taking the national high today of 19 degrees.Lyttleton was pleasant with 18 degrees which is about 7 degrees above average for mid August.