Road closed — but not to some logging trucks

Work in progress: An East Coast contractor is working on a bypass road in the Mangahauini Gorge after a slip created issues during Cyclone Gabrielle. A Tokomaru Bay resident claims logging trucks are already accessing the yet-to-be opened bypass. Picture supplied

A Tokomaru Bay resident says her community is “ropable” logging trucks have been allowed to travel on a 300-metre closed section of road north of the East Coast town, while others are forced to take a 50-kilometre detour.

A section of State Highway 35 in the Mangahauini Gorge — between Tokomaru Bay and Te Puia Springs — has been closed since Cyclone Gabrielle due to a major slip which dammed a river and formed a lake, cutting off access.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said last month an estimated 400,000 cubic metres of water, silt and trees was held in the body of water, which posed a risk to the Tokomaru Bay community.

On February 14, forestry and logistics company Kuru Contracting began creating a temporary bypass track on Waka Kotahi land adjacent to State Highway 35.

The 300 metre bypass is expected to be open by Easter.

In the meantime, the only access available to residents wanting to travel north of Tokomaru Bay to Te Puia Springs and beyond is a 50km option over Ihungia Road.

Resident Lillian Te Hau-Ward said she had been made aware of logging trucks travelling through the unfinished bypass, and wasn’t happy about it.

“Our community is ropable that logging trucks can come over that bypass and travel through the Mangahauini slip where whānau can’t,” Ms Te Hau-Ward said.

“They have to drive 53km (over) the Inungia loop road to get to Te Puia and vice-versa.

“Nobody else is allowed to access that road . . . . we’re getting photos of logging trucks going through.”

Kuru Contracting general manager Ma Parata confirmed to Local Democracy Reporting that his company only manned the site when it was working there.

On Monday, he was at the opening of the Pourau Road bypass north of Tolaga Bay — a 2.2km road created by Kuru Contracting which has opened access to Tokomaru Bay going south.

“That road (in Mangahauini) is closed as far as we’re aware but we only man it when we’re working, so today we’re not working because all my guys are here,” he said.

Asked if he knew whether trucks were using the road, Parata replied “of course”.

“There’s people driving through there now (but) I’m a contractor, not the road police.”

A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said it was concerning to hear the road was being used prematurely without the organisation’s approval.

The transport agency had not given approval for any logging operators to use the track being built in the Mangahauini Gorge, they said.

“We are raising those concerns directly with the contractor to ensure that the track is not used until it has been inspected and deemed safe.

“We understand the frustration that this unapproved use of the bypass has caused for local residents.”

Waka Kotahi would not say how much funding it had provided to the new bypass, but said it had contributed “some”, which would be drawn from the additional $250 million allocated to emergency works last month.