He horowhenua, he waipuke hoki ka mahue iho i te marangai ki Te Taitokerau, ki Waikato tae atu ki Te Waiariki i te rā nei. Ā, he tohu whakatūpato te rere ake nei i Te Ratonga Tirorangi, ka kino tonu te heke o te uā ā te pō nei. Kotahi marama te wāriu o te ua i heke i roto i te rua tekau mā wha haora ki runga o Ōpōtiki, na whai anō i kake te awa o Ōtara ki ngā wāhi marakerake.
Hei tā Aileen Lawrie, tumu whakarae o te kaunihera ā rohe o Ōpōtiki, “I eke ngā wai o te awa o Ōtara, na te kaha heke mai o te ua i waipukehia.” Nō te tau rua mano, tekau i waipukehia e Ōpōtiki i tēnei wā ko ngā taumaha i pā ki runga i ngā waipara, ā, i raru ai ētahi o te taone.
Mo Rongo Wikitoria i haere mai ia mai Te Kaha, ā, i kite ia ētahi wai ki runga i ngā huarahi, “Kāre he pai, na te mea ko ngā drains kei te block so, ka pēnei, ka waipuke ngā papa tākaro.” Neke atu i te tekau ngā whare iti kua whakaritea huri noa i te taone, ko te aro a te kaunihera ki ngā awa me ngā waipara.
Hei tā te kaunihera ā rohe o Ōpōtiki anō, “kei te mohio mātou i ngā raru, na whai anō tekau miriona tāra kei te whakapau ki te whakatika i te raru.” Ki tā ngā tohu huarere he ua anō ka puta hei te pō nei engari ko te whakaaro tino nui e huri ana ki ngā kaipāmu me ō rātou whenua e karawhiuwhiu nei ana e te waipuke i tēnei wā.