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It is no longer possible to tell where the river ends and the road begins.
For the fourth day in a row it's raining torrentially in Nelson on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island.
Rivers burst their banks, the ground so soft that roads are washed away.
400 houses have had to be evacuated so far, many are so damaged that no one can live in them for the time being.
Katie Thurston, resident
“Oh, it's heartbreaking. The whole house is full of mud and I think we'll have to write off the car too. The waka (Maori canoe) is ok, that's awesome. There's even mud in the bathtub
."
172mm of rain has fallen in Nelson since Tuesday - more than double the normal August amount.
Another 190mm is expected in the mountainous regions near the city.
More landslides are to be expected.
Andrew Seccombe, local resident
“I was at work and my wife called me, she filmed everything coming down the hill. I've never seen anything like it. It's really amazing and it all happened in a matter of minutes.«
Annie Wall, resident
"Very fast. Within two minutes we had a landslide under our feet
."
Local residents are urged to save water as there are problems with the water supply system.
They should also stay away from the coast, as the surf is currently up to three meters high.
The North Island of New Zealand is also affected by heavy rainfall: some cities are completely cut off from the outside world, streets and houses are under water, and people have to be evacuated here too.
