Bay of Plenty weather: Residents urged to keep an eye on properties as more rain increases risk of slips

Slips across the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel have closed roads and put residents on alert as a new heavy rain warning has been issued.

Authorities managing a landslide that left five Maungatapu homes uninhabitable are bracing for more potential slips as others fell on Takitimu Drive, in Pyes Pa and in Hairini, in the Western Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula.

All weather warnings and watches for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Coromandel have been lifted. Several roads in the region are closed or under traffic management.

A section of State Highway 25A between Kopua and Hikuai in the Coromandel was swept away in a large slip with local MP Scott Simpson saying the “scale of the repair job is going to be enormous”.

Yesterday, State Highway 2 through the Karangahake Gorge was operating under stop/go traffic management and down to one lane following a large slip near on Tuesday.

In Maungatapu, Tauranga City Council acting chief executive Barbara Dempsey said slips had happened in Te Hono St and Mersea Place.

Mersea Place resident Arceli Narito said it was not too much of a worry but she was keeping an eye on the situation.

”We keep track [of] the news [and are] keeping informed through social media.”

Another street resident of 25 years, who did not want to be named for privacy reasons, said she did not have too many concerns about the slips.

“We’re well planted - the trees that we’ve got are pohutukawa and natives and gum trees and things like that so I think that’s important to plant out like that ... which holds the bank. We haven’t had any major problems in the time we’ve lived here.”

Te Hono St resident Rachael Kuka, who has lived there for about three years, was one section back from the coastline and said it was “quite concerning” for the residents closest to it.

“I am a little bit further away but I mean, if things start happening at the back properties, I would be a bit concerned.”

Te Hono St resident Rachael Kuka. Photo / Mead Norton

On Thursday, Dempsey said drone footage confirmed that the main Maungatapu slip on Egret Ave did not appear to have worsened “but the slope is still very wet and there is potential for more rain in the coming days”.

“Residents are being advised to monitor their property for any further damage and be prepared to self-evacuate if the conditions deteriorate.”

Council had appointed a recovery team to directly liaise with residents and guide them through the process. Clean-up would get under way when the forecast heavy rain has passed or once advice has been received that it is safe to do so.

Dempsey said those who lived near a hill or steep slope should watch for cracks or movement and retaining walls should be well maintained.

Tauranga City Council Civil Defence controller Mike Naude said slips on Takitimu Drive, in Pyes Pa and in Hairini had been reported on Thursday.

“We are watching the situation, and have staff and contractors out and about and ready to respond to any issues.”

He said there were no other reports of damage across the council’s transport or water networks as a result of Thursday’s rainfall.

Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said the council was “doing all we can to ensure a timely clean-up and recovery”.

On Tuesday night, the council and Downer offered pallets of sandbags to anyone needing them to prevent homes and property flooding.

Roughly 1500 sandbags were placed roadside for pick-up outside Downer’s Whakakake St site in The Lakes, with the council later saying the demand was “putting pressure on our supplies as they are flying off the pallets faster than Downer can replace them”.

An orange heavy rain warning was issued for the Bay of Plenty west of Kawerau including the Rotorua Lakes District, Western Bay of Plenty District, and Tauranga City until 11am today.

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said the Tauranga Airport weather station had only recorded 4.5mm of rain since 10am.

He said showers would continue today after the warning had lifted but Saturday would be a “much drier day”.

Humid temperatures of around 20C were expected overnight today and tomorrow across the region, he said.

Showers were expected on Sunday until Monday morning, with finer conditions going into the rest of the week.

Slips at the summit of State Highway 25A. Photo / Scott Simpson

In the Coromandel Peninsula, footage of State Highway 25A showed the extent of the damage to what Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency described as a “vital transport link”.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson visited the site and said in a Facebook post it was “far bigger than it was [on Wednesday] and is still moving. The scale of [the] repair job is going to be enormous.”

Waka Kotahi said it had begun the work needed to get a clear picture of the full extent of the slip damage, the first step in planning a solution to restore this vital transport link for the region.

“The damage to the road is significant, the repair will be a huge piece of work,” Waka Kotahi regional transport systems manager Cara Lauder said.

“Waka Kotahi is gearing up now so we’ll be ready to take action as soon as the storm has passed. Our immediate priority is still the emergency response, and the site is still extremely wet and highly unstable.”

People could still travel to the Coromandel region over Waitangi weekend, however, but were recommended to use the Holiday Journey planner when considering the best time to leave.

Te Puna Station Rd on Thursday afternoon. Photo / Western Bay of Plenty Council

In a Facebook post yesterday afternoon, Western Bay of Plenty District Council said Te Puna Station Rd had further slips and was completely blocked and a number of other local roads were closed too.

The Government yesterday unlocked an additional $700,000 in support for regions hit by the recent flooding and storm damage, including the Bay of Plenty.

Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said $500,000 was being made available to provide unskilled and semi-skilled jobs for locals to support farmers, growers, and communities “by completing clean-up work on their properties.”

”The damage to farms, homes, roads, and bridges across the regions affected is extensive and no doubt will take a long time to be fully assessed. By making this funding available, local councils and other authorised agencies can hire job seekers to help.”

The damage in the Bay of Plenty, Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula was also classified as a medium-scale adverse event. Funding of $200,000 would be allocated to Rural Support Trusts.

- Additional reporting Kiri Gillespie, Megan Wilson