The level of the local river is about six metres higher than usual, a builder from Taumarunui says.
Flooding and slips closed five state highways and cut off communities on Tuesday.
Ricky Balloch was walking along Ongarue Back Road - which follows the Ongarue river parallel to State Highway 4.
Balloch said he had never seen the river as flooded as in the last two days.
"Normally this is quite a narrow river and you can easily drive through here, I reckon it's gone up probably six metres and down the end of the marae here, there's a bridge with a train track going over top of it that's under water. I've never ever seen it under water before, it's nuts."
Balloch said he had been helping a fellow resident whose garage was filling up with water but his own home - on higher ground - had escaped any damage.
A teacher aide at Ngakonui Valley School, Carrie Peach said her sister had narrowly avoided being struck by a slip while driving on Tuesday.
"A slip came down in front of her, yeah her car actually got hit by a tree, so that was quite scary for her.
"Thankfully she's fine, managed to get out no worries, she reversed and she's out of there."
Peach said Ngakonui Valley School - north of Taumarunui - had been without power since 10pm yesterday.
Staff had been unable to make it past it the floodwaters and multiple slips in the area to open the school, she said.
The height of the water is seen by only the top of a fence and gate visible above flood waters. Photo: RNZ/Dan Jones
The chair of Whanau Maria Marae - near Taumarunui - said she was hoping flood waters that had reached marae's whare kai would recede soon.
Flooding and slips closed the State Highway 4 between Eight Mile Junction to Taumarunui - where the marae is situated - on Tuesday.
Toia Lucas-Walden said people at the marae were staying put and did not seem to be in danger at this stage.
"The flood has actually come right up and underneath by the whare kai. But we think it's going to subside because it looks like the sun might come out. But if it was to carry on they would be because they've got no electricity, no gas," Lucas-Walden said.
Lucas-Walden said the Taringamotu river - near the town of Taumarunui - had exceeded its banks but the surface of bridge into town was still well above the water level.
Pair trapped in floodwaters took unnecessary risk - Civil Defence controller
A home on River Road adjacent to the Taringamotu River stands above flood waters. Photo: RNZ/Dan Jones
A couple who became trapped in floodwaters and had to be rescued were taking risks and the situation was avoidable, Ruapehu's civil defence controller says.
Two people trapped in the floodwaters on SH4 near Taumarunui were rescued by locals in a jet boat.
The road between Eight Mile Junction and Taumarunui had been closed since Tuesday morning by multiple slips in the area after flooding in the central North Island.
Emergency services were called to a vehicle trapped by high water at about 4.30am on Wednesday, but could not get through the submerged road.
A rescue helicopter was called in, but was stood down after members of the public reached the vehicle and brought the pair to safety.
Ruapehu civil defence controller Clive Manley said the incident was avoidable.
"They are taking risks by driving in so we're requesting people to obey the signs. Crews are working as fast as they can to open those roads up again but people do need to be patient and not take undue risks. We do not want to have to rescue people unnecessarily," Manley said.
An aerial shot of flooding at Okahukura on 15 October. Photo: Supplied / Horizons Regional Council
Drivers in the area needed to be patient and wait for roads to re-open, he said.
Manley said a "handful" of people had chosen to evacuate overnight and there were isolated instances where hazards - such as falling trees - had cut power to homes and people should check on their neighbours.
He said the previously cut-off town of Ōhura had been accessed but there was still flooding along the route to the community.
"The rivers are going down - the weather has eased - so it won't get worse from that point of view - but Matiere and Tokirima are still isolated at this stage," Manley said at 10am Wednesday.
Manley said a fixed wing plane would be flying across the region to assess damage and check on cut off homes.
He said he was hoping roads would be opened to allow the area to bounce back ahead of further rain forecast for later in the week.
"We're a very resilient region. A lot of the farms - they're used to managing a lot of these things themselves - and the communities that have been isolated or flooded - it's not the first time for them - so they're well equipped and we've got some great community that help each other which is wonderful," Manley said.
The Ruapehu District Council reactivated its emergency operations centre on Wednesday while crews started the clean-up.
There are power and cell outages in the area, and some schools are closed on Wednesday.
Residents are being asked to conserve water.
A FENZ spokesperson said at at least one crew is being sent to Taumarunui to help police in the in the flood-hit area.
The height of the water is seen by only the top of a fence and gate visible above flood waters. Photo: RNZ/Dan Jones
Ruapehu District Council is warning people to avoid driving around the district if possible and not to drive on flooded roads.
It said although river levels were starting to recede there was still a lot of water in the upper catchment which needed to flow through and which may take a few days.
Weather in the area is fine on Wednesday and river levels are dropping, but it will take a couple of days to recede to normal.
There are power and cell outages in the area, and some schools are closed on Wednesday.
Residents are being asked to conserve water, but there is no issues with treatment plants.
People should treat flood waters as contaminated and unsafe to be touched, the council said.
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