Severe weather is becoming the "new normal" for coastal regions like Bay of Plenty

The region was drenched by sudden downpours yesterday, with 60 millimetres of rain falling in an hour.

Several homes in Waihi Beach have been evacuated due to flooding, and parts of the town have also been without power.

Civil Defence Controller Peter Watson says communities continue to come together, to help each other get through.

Elsewhere in the region, State Highway 30 east of Rotorua has now reopened after being closed by a slip.