Cyclone Gabrielle: One year on and still no bridge

Charlie Menzies has to cross the river using a friend's dinghy. Photo / Paul Taylor

Charlie Menzies and her husband Hamish are still waiting for a new bridge.

It’s been a year of trying to work around the problem of having no bridge since Cyclone Gabrielle swept away what was a major access point to their Rakaiatai Rd farm, near Ormondville.

Charlie, a teacher at Dannevirke High School, says her first thought after seeing the bridge washed away was: “How am I going to get to work?”

She says she had to be there for her pupils.

“You can’t get relievers. I just had to get to work.”

Charlie says that luckily a friend had a dinghy and another friend was able to get it for them and brought rope so she would be able to pull it across instead of rowing.

While the distance, at 100m, doesn’t sound a lot, other factors can add to the stress, such as if it’s pouring with rain.

“It’s the extra logistical thought that you have to constantly be aware of,” she says.

The moment the bridge on Rakaiatai Rd was swept away in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

It was the afternoon of February 14, 2023, when the bridge gave way under the force of the water from the Manawatū River.

Charlie says the bridge’s demise was caused by large logs in the river hitting the centre pier of the bridge.

“The turbulence undermined it,” she says.

The footbridge built to improve access for residents at the end of Rakaiatai Road. Photo / Tararua District Council

It took a few weeks, but Tararua District Council was able to assist by building a ford, as well as a footbridge, using pieces of the old bridge, which helped in some ways, but in others not.

“If there’s rain forecast, my husband has to think does he have to take a vehicle out in case he can’t get it across.”

Charlie says the ford is only accessible when the river is low.

“We’ve become so much more aware of the ebb and flow of the river.”

As a working farm, the lack of a bridge has led to problems with stock.

Charlie says they’ve been able to take stock out through their neighbours’ property, but when those neighbours are lambing that is not possible.

“Our newly weaned lambs, we actually took them 50 at a time in a tractor-trailer, two tractors pulling them across the ford and then loading the on to a truck waiting.”

It has all taken a toll.

“That extra bit of concern, strain, it’s stressful.”

It could be up to another six months before a new bridge can be built, although Charlie is hoping it will be completed before winter.

In many ways, the lack of a bridge is like they’ve gone back in time.

Charlie has done a lot of reading of some of the correspondence by Hamish’s father.

The Menzies’ farm, as well as that of the neighbours, was a rehab farm after World War II, given to returned servicemen.

Back then there was no bridge and without one they couldn’t develop the farms, Charlie says.

It took her father-in-law 15 years of campaigning to get a bridge built and it was completed in the 1970s.

“It really came home to us because we’re at the same point. You can potter on but you can’t get the fencer in, you can’t get the contractors in.

“Those men starting out, they couldn’t do what they wanted with the farm because they couldn’t get stuff they needed. Here we are again 50 years later.”

Dealing with those involved in the decision-making has been a bit of a frustrating exercise and Charlie feels for those in Hawke’s Bay and in other areas of the district whose livelihood is at stake.

“The lack of decision-making, the insecurity, it’s just devastating.”

She feels she needs some sort of certainty.

“Even if it’s not a situation you want, at least you know.”

Having a new bridge will make a huge difference, Charlie says, adding that bringing in fuel will be a big thing, as well as fertiliser and being able to take wool out.

As a competitor in equestrian sport, Charlie hasn’t been able to do that for a year.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to do a bit of competition riding.”

A spokesperson from Tararua Alliance says that the bridge is on the high complexity list with the capital works team.

“Options have been developed and the team expects to be able to confirm the preferred option with the landowners and community in the coming weeks.”

Leanne Warr is editor of the Bush Telegraph and has been a journalist on and off since 1996 when she joined the Levin Chronicle. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.