Watch: Rotorua neighbourhood turns into river as torrential rain brings flash flooding

Several homes were inundated in Rotorua during a sudden downpour yesterday in the Bay of Plenty.

Emergency services received about a dozen calls, Fairfax reported, from residents in Owhata, Lynmore and Hannah's Bay.

MetService says 34mm of rain fell within the space of an hour at Rotorua Airport.

Video from the area showed a huge amount of surface flooding making its way through the back yards of homes and into the houses.

Calls to Fire and Emergency New Zealand began about 6pm.

Surface flooding was also reported in parts of Tauranga.