Flooded rivers overflowed their banks, inundating large areas of the Poverty Bay flats. On the 28th, the floods in the flats at the back of Gisborne were the worst that year.

The Gisborne-Motu road was impassable due to the rains reducing it to mud and slush 1 ft (30.5 cm) deep.

When the river was at its flush a considerable volume of water broke through Tietjen's cutting and over the adjoining properties.

The municipal water supply was cut off on the night of the 28th in Gisborne owing to a break in the top line beyond the resevroir at Te Arai. The creek supplying the reservoir was in high flood that day. The water remained off on the 29th.

The railway tunnel at Kaiteratahi was flooded with 5 ft (1.5 m) of water. There was also a subsidence under the rails near Kaiteratahi.

At Ormond, the Waipaoa River overflowed into the "Ormond dip". In the morning there was over 2 ft (61 cm) of water over the road and two cars became stuck.

On the flats at Patutahi, the flood waters from the direction of Tangihau flanked the settlers.

At the lower end of the flats one house was surrounded by 2-3 ft (61-92 cm) of water.

The occupiers of the house were compelled to evacuate during the middle of the afternoon.

They lost a milking cow to the flood.

They also lost a valuable crop of lucerne by the waters covering their property.

The Mangatu River overflowed its banks near Puha. Two low level bridges, one near Scott's and the other near Holdsworth's were covered to a depth of 2 ft (61 cm) and 3 ft (91 cm) respectively.

Between 8am and 9am on the 28th the Waipaoa River broke its banks near Puha and flooded the railway line to a depth of 2 ft (61 cm) for a distance of 1/4 mile (402 m) between the station and the tunnel. It had been 11 years since the Waipaoa River had inundatated the line at this point.

At the time the railway line flooded there was fully 5 ft (1.5 m) of water in the Puha tunnel. During the afternoon it started to recede.

At Repongaere the river had not been so high in many years and the stopbanks were broken in several places on the western side of the river.

The Lavernham creek backed up and overflowed, inundating the Lavernham Rd near Hair's.

Near Tangihau station, where the flood banks collapsed, the water rushed through.

At Te Karaka, the Waipaoa River was within 5 ft (1.5 m) of the level it reached in 1914.

All rivers and creeks in the Tokomaru Bay area were in high flood.

Communication with Ruatoria by road was cut off.

The Mangahawini stream (Mangahauini River?) was in high flood and cars could not enter the township from the Gisborne side.

The Uawa River had risen considerably as a result of continued rain.

The Waipaoa River overflowed at Waerengaahika.

The Waipaoa River rose 9 ft (2.7 m) within 6 hours. By 2:30pm on the 28th the water was within a few inches of the top of the stop banks due to the swelling of the volume by other flood waters from the back country. The river was subsiding on the night of the 28th.

At the lowest part of Waerengaahika, the water commenced to overflow on to some of the properties adjoinging the river at about 10am. As the river increased in volume in the afternoon the rear portions of D. P. Cameron's, Luttrell's, McIntosh's land were inundated.

A large area of Ferris' land was under water to a depth of a couple of inches.

The "big river" commenced to rise on the morning of the 27th. During the night the volume of water rose alarmingly and in the early hours of the 28th it overflowed its banks in several of the low-lying parts of the township. The river also inundated about 30 or 40 acres (0.12-0.16 km) of the Te Hau and Waitehiki station properties.

The Mangatu River did not show signs of rising until the afternoon of the 27th, but it quickly reached the top of the banks. In several of the low-lying spots on the road it overflowed but not sufficiently to hold up traffic.

The road between Nuhaka and Wairoa was covered with water for 9 miles (14.5 km), in some cases to a depth of 6 in (15.2 cm).