The rising Kauearanga River has meant there is no access into Thames, while debris and flooding litter the Thames Coast Rd. State Highway 2 through the Karangahake Gorge has also been closed because of flooding, and major delays are expected. Pauanui resident Michelle Dellabarca said she hasn't seen flooding so bad in her area during the whole 15 years she's lived there. "Whangamata, Tairua, Pauanui, there's a lot of flooding, there's no way of getting in or out of there at the moment. The Thames Coast Rd is littered with debris and between Thames and Coromandel town and unable to be accessed.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 07, 2017 18:50 UTC