Campers, trampers and Coromandel residents were all wringing out their mops today after a deluge of prolonged heavy rain over the long weekend.
Rain damage at Whiti Farm Park. Photo: Supplied
More than 500mm of rain lashed the region over 48 hours.
Civil defence assessments of any damage to rural properties are continuing as businesses and farmers - including one whose Highland cow was washed away - cleaned up.
Whiti Farm Park in Whitianga lets families feed and pet its 150 animals. Owner Ronnie James said the farm was anticipating financial recovery after a long drought and the Covid-19 lockdown, but on the very first day of their reopening, a torrential downpour smashed their plans.
"There wasn't actually forecast to be that much rain on Saturday night. We experienced about 250mm rain, which is a lot," she said.
James said they had experienced quite a few floods before, but nothing like this.
"The fences have been ripped out and even a big Scottish Highland cow was washed a kilometre downstream."
Whit Farm Park. Photo: Supplied
She said fortunately their animals were mostly safe with only one hen missing, but debris had been strewn everywhere and their car park out the front was half a metre deep in silt.
She said the cleanup and repairs were going to take quite a while.
"Even though winter is a quieter time for us, we still get customers. If we can make a few dollars here and there by a few people coming through each day rather than none - that's why we stay open all year round," she said.
"There's school holidays coming up in July, but that's only a month away so we don't even know if we'd be able to reopen then."
Whitianga dairy farmer Dirk Sieling has also been busy cleaning since yesterday and thinking about how to prevent more serious slips from happening.
"We had some flooding. We had quite a few blocks of culverts and some slips - most [were] minor slips but a major slip just started to form," he said.
"On the hillside it has been slumping, so you look at what you can do about that - planting trees and then, of course, you have to fence it off the stock as well."
In Auckland, Watercare chief executive Raveen Jaduram said the city could still use more rain.
The city's water storage levels increased by just 1.3 percent at the weekend to 44.6 percent, still well below the usual average of 77 percent.
He said that with spring forecast to be drier than normal, water restrictions could be in place for a longer period of time.
"I'm happy that we had the rain. It's better than no rain, but the key message is that we're not out of the situation so I don't want Aucklanders to suddenly think the problem has gone away - the problem is still here."
Waikato Regional Council said a stricken boat on Whangamatā Harbour had been lifted out of the water just before 5pm and taken to the marina for further examination.
The boat's fuel was not leaking, the council said.
