Farmers with stock in low-lying areas adjacent to the Whakatāne and Tauranga Rivers are being advised to immediately move stock to higher ground.

This warning comes as the Bay of Plenty Regional Council provides as update from its Flood Room today.

Over the past 24 hours there has been rainfall of up to 230mm in the catchment, says council in a post on Facebook.

A heavy rain warning and watch remains in place for the Bay of Plenty. Read more here.

"The Whakatāne River has reached second warning levels in response to this rainfall and will continue to rise for a few more hours. We are advising farmers with stock on low-lying areas adjacent to the Whakatāne and Tauranga Rivers to immediately move stock to higher ground.

"The Kaituna River level is currently just above the first warning level, which means the river level has reached its normal channel capacity. However, it is slowly rising and we will notify landowners if it reaches the second warning level via our text alert system."

Council says the Te Rahu spillway on the Whakatāne River (near Awakeri) is operating this morning to relieve pressure off the lower parts of the Whakatāne River.

"Water levels in the Te Rahu basin will slowly rise over the next 12 hours and notifications have been sent to adjacent landowners."

As of 8am, access to Ōpōtiki via Wainui Road is currently blocked by flooding, due to the rainfall overnight.

"Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff are continuing to carefully monitor the situation and work with relevant agencies (such as Bay of Plenty Civil Defence).

"We will provide further updates on river levels and rainfall as the situation develops."