An Orange Heavy Rain Warning is in place for Tauranga from 9am Thursday 26 March to 1am Saturday 28 March.
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence is sharing information through Facebook and their website. Please refer to these channels for updates in the first instance.
We also recommend checking our Newsbeat page and NZTA.
Closures around Tauranga
As at 1.00pm on Thursday, 26 March, the following areas are closed around the city.
Hopukiore / Mount Drury
All of Hopukiore / Mount Drury is closed.
While Hopukiore / Mount Drury is closed, in the event of a tsunami, the tsunami safe location for Mount Maunganui is at Blake Park, between Maunganui Road and Totara Street.
An earthquake is the first warning that a tsunami might be on the way. Do not wait for official warnings to evacuate. If an earthquake is long or strong, get gone.
For more information on tsunami evacuation zones, visit tauranga.govt.nz/tsunami and bopcivildefence.govt.nz
McLaren Falls Park
Due to the weather warning currently in place for Tauranga, McLaren Falls Park is partially closed. The road and access to the park from the Waterfall Track onwards are closed, and camping is closed.
This closure is in place from Wednesday, 25 March and will remain until it is deemed safe to fully reopen. We will provide an update as soon as possible.
- Ponga Grove Track is closed until further notice - adverse weather events have caused extensive damage to the walkway.
- Hamilton Point Campsite and Rotary Grove are currently closed.
- There is a major slip on the Lakeside Track, below Hamilton point. A diversion is in place.
Waikareao Estuary Walkway (Daisy Hardwick Walkway)
The walkway is closed between Novella Place and Maxwells Road until further notice.
Other areas currently closed around the city
- Puketomiro Pa (in Kōpūrererua Valley)
- Novella Place Slip Repairs
- Walkway on the estuary side off 7th Avenue
Council will look to reopen any closed walkways once tracks have been assessed following the weather event.