Business owners in Oropi and Windermere are counting their losses this morning as they wade through sodden stock after heavy rain caused flooding overnight.

Gary Jefferson at Discount Furniture and Lifestyle Imports in Glenlyon Avenue is one of the worst hit in the area.

Gary Jefferson with the aftermath of the flooding.

This morning when SunLive visited Gary was undertaking a stock-take of ruined items after heavy rain caused the Waimapu River to burst its banks, flooding the warehouse and nearby roads.

'We are about the fourth building along, but most of the buildings down there were flooded last night as well,” he told SunLive this morning.

'The stream came up about half a metre above the line of the building. It had nowhere to go and it was inside the building. All our stock was just floating around – it's a bit of a nightmare.

'I'm probably one of many people who have the same problem.”

Hundreds of brand new mattresses left stacked against the walls last night were strewn across the warehouse floor today.

The water level inside was indicated on sodden cardboard packing, on the stacks of imported bunk beds and other furniture.

He won't even be able to sell off the damaged stock as a cheaper rate as it smells of fish due to the mussel factory tanks upstream overflowing and contaminating flood waters.

And on top of that, he has another container load of bunk beds arriving with nowhere to store the goods.

The power is out, the computer is off, and he has to remain onsite because customers were due today to pick up orders.

In Roxanne Place, one of the roads closed due to rising waters overnight, business owners are today angry at a Tauranga City Council decision for floodwaters swamping their businesses overnight.

One owner, who didn't want to be named, told SunLive a flood protection scheme including installing a new 1500mm drain, was all set to proceed in March when they were told by council staff that work will not now start until July.

'The first flood about four years ago, that was a one in 50-year flood and the water came up to the front door. Two months ago it was at the edge of the tarseal,” he says.

'The council had a drainage plan in place and they were going to go ahead in March. They were going to put a drain through from the swamp to outside and build up the road.

'They put it off till July. It really makes sense to put in a drain in the middle of autumn,” said the man.

Clearing the slips into the stream below Chadwick Road and Yatton Park might also have helped the flooded stream drain to the sea quicker, but he says regional council and city council are still to decide whose responsibility it is.

Mens Shed member Neville Abbott inspecting the damage.

The entrance to the Historic Village on 17th Avenue.

Storage King, which lies closest to the Waimapu Stream on Roxanne Place, is today trying to contact more than 100 customers whose storage lockers were flooded when the floodwaters backed up on the high tide.

Auckland-based operations manager Lorraine King said floodwaters were about 300-400mm deep all through the lower level.

'It's absolutely devastating,” says Lorraine.

'We'll do our best. We have managers down from Auckland to help with cleaning up and to help with customers.”

The water wasn't as high for other property owners and tenants closer to Poike Road end of the precinct, but they all had water through their ground floors.

Lollipop's Playland is closed until insurance assessors can view the damage. Water about 200mm deep has been through the entire place, leaving a thin layer of mud everywhere. The owner is returning from the United Kingdom and staff have been unable to contact her.

Duty Manager Roseanne Carston doesn't think it will be able to be cleaned and receive a clean bill of health before the weekend, and birthday party bookings will have to be cancelled.

When Tauranga City Council was asked about the Roxanne Place drainage plan, staff said they were busy dealing with the current situation, and they will be able to provide comment later.



Storage King on Roxanne Place.


Lollipops Playland on Roxanne Place.

Businesses under water at Roxanne Place.

Parts of Roxanne Place remain under water today.

Roxanne Place in Windermere this morning.


The BMX park at the end of 17th Avenue.




The flooded Mens Shed at the Historic Village.