Residents of Whakatane are cleaning mud from their homes.
The town is in flood recovery mode after a deluge on Tuesday night, when 75 people were evacuated: 100mm of rain fell in less than two hours.
Streams and canals were already brimming after an almost identical event last week.
This time, the waterways could not cope and the torrents entered homes and commercial properties.
Civil Defence controller Diane Turner says Housing New Zealand is relocating those who had to stay at the Whakatane War Memorial Hall overnight.
Builders and insurance assessors say they have more work than they can handle.
More rain is forecast later this week.