Cyclone Gabrielle leaves Coromandel roads flooded with ‘metres of water, absolutely impassable’. Video / Matthew Davison
Five major storms and a three-week state of emergency have had a “catastrophic effect” on visitor numbers to the Coromandel this summer, business owners say.
An ice cream shop owner is predicting a “long, bleak winter”, and a lodge in Colville is offering transport by boat after a slip blocked the road.
It comes as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says Coromandel road users should be “prepared for disrupted travel for some time”, seven households remain in emergency council accommodation and the number of homes assessed as damaged is rising after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region last week.
Newly appointed Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson yesterday announced a $50 million initial economic support package for businesses, workers and the primary sector. Tax relief measures, including interest write-offs and filing date changes, would apply to those in affected areas. NZTA would be given $250 million for emergency works on both local roads and state highways.
Josie Fraser, who has owned Umu Cafe in Coromandel township for 22 years, told the Bay of Plenty Times before the announcement that her business had taken a “huge hit” this summer and would require “a lot” of financial support from the Government.
The combination of road closures and the state of emergency had a “catastrophic effect on visitors” in the Coromandel township, she said.
“Access has been very much compromised from all roads in - for our wee town, we went from summer to quieter than winter,” she said.
“It’s going to be really hard to get over. Everyone is really feeling it.”
She said despite most roads now re-opening, tourists and bach owners were not travelling because of messages communicating that “roads are only for essential travel”.
The business was not damaged in the cyclone, although Fraser closed last Monday due to the “dangerous” weather conditions.
It followed multiple severe weather events starting in early January, she said.
Umu Cafe owner Josie Fraser.
Umu Cafe was forced to close between Auckland Anniversary weekend and Waitangi weekend because the “roads were gone”.
Fraser, who had 18 full-time staff, was concerned about how her business would fare throughout winter.
“This is pretty much like Level 3 Covid. Especially on the back of two years of really bad times for hospitality businesses.”
Tasty Treats business owner Pat O’Sullivan said the number of people he served a day on average dropped from 150 over Christmas and New Year’s to about 20 since the start of 2023.
“I have probably lost about 90 per cent of my business. I have been living on my overdraft, and this is supposed to be the height of the season.”
He was feeling “pessimistic” about the future of his business. A chef by trade, he recently decided to temporarily close over winter and find work in a kitchen for the season.
“It’s going to be a long, bleak winter. Small businesses here need tourists - without them, we are all going under this winter.”
He urged tourists and bach owners to “come as soon as the roads are ready”.
“That’s what’s going to make the difference and help some businesses stay afloat.”
Shelly Beach Top 10 Holiday Park grounds manager Mike Verberne.
Shelly Beach Top 10 Holiday Park grounds manager Mike Verberne said the storms had majorly impacted business.
“We are dealing with more cancellations than we are bookings. It can be quite demoralising when all you are dealing with is people stopping their holidays.”
There had been a large number of days where holidaymakers had not been able to access the campground because of slips and road closures, he said.
The “lack of certainty” surrounding road and weather conditions had also put people off, with Verberne saying people were cancelling to avoid getting “caught out”.
“Getting concrete information on where you can drive has been hard for everybody in the area.”
The owners, who also ran Anglers Lodge further up Colville Rd, had decided to run a boat service to the accommodation from Shelly Beach to avoid a closed road, he said.
“It has turned into a very remote location, which is quite unique. We are just trying to get the word out about it — that’s the biggest thing right now.”
Waka Kotahi NZTA says SH25A is a "long way" from being usable. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZTA
David Speirs, director of regional relationships for Waka Kotahi, said the peninsula had endured five major storms this summer and a three-week-long state of emergency, and he understood how “devastating” these were.
Contractors had worked “tirelessly” since the cyclone struck to re-open transport lifelines and reconnect isolated communities.
Roads re-opened last week included the Thames to Matarangi road around the east coast, the Karangahake Gorge on State Highway 2 and State Highway 25 around the perimeter of the peninsula.
But Speirs said clean-up and repair work to re-instate full access on SH25 was ongoing, and SH25A was a “long way” from being useable.
”Coromandel road users should be prepared for disrupted travel for some time.”
The Waka Kotahi Journey Planner had the most up-to-date information on the status of highways and was updated 24/7 by traffic operations centres, he said.
Thames-Coromandel District Council said in a statement that after Cyclone Gabrielle, 23 properties had been assessed as having “some damage”. This number could rise as more rapid building assessments were undertaken this week, Spiers said.
Image 1 of 23: Flooding in Coromandel. Photo / Supplied
The council had sourced emergency accommodation for seven households and 25 houses were affected by power outages.
Residents along Port Jackson Rd had reported three slips that needed clearing and one road collapse.
Food and other supplies were being transported by boat, with Civil Defence delivering to one end of the slips and locals walking in to collect items.
“Teams are still working north along Port Jackson Road and are now south of Fantail Bay. Every slip that is cleared could hide a possible collapse beneath it, so work has to be slow and careful ... [but] progress is being made.”
The council said before the road opened further, checks had to be made of every retaining wall and at the sites of previous collapses.
On Friday, Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Len Salt said funds had arrived in the Mayoral Relief Fund.
It was open to residents, ratepayers, small business owners, and not-for-profit organisations who had suffered financial hardship because of damages caused by the cyclone.
