Rotorua's mayor says managed retreat needs to be seriously considered for homes around the rising Lake Rotoma.
The lake is just a few millimetres away from overflowing onto State Highway 30, the lifeline between Rotorua and Kawerau.
After months of rain, the land around the Bay of Plenty is waterlogged, with NIWA's water soil map showing the ground is totally saturated.
NIWA has also revealed 11 locations across the country have already seen more than a year's worth of rain in the first six months of this year.
Finn Blackwell reports.
