The last few motorists to get across State Highway 2 before the road was closed due to flooding. Photo / Paul Taylor
The last few motorists to get across State Highway 2 before the road was closed due to flooding. Photo / Paul Taylor
Rising floodwaters trapped a family with two young children on the Tiniroto Rd in the Wairoa District, forcing them to spend a cold, wet night in their car.
The two adults and two children endured the evening with only the provisions they had with them, but authorities report they were not in any immediate danger.
Wairoa District Council (WDC) emergency management officer Tim Allan said that, while plans were afoot to airlift the family to safety, they ultimately had to decide not to send in the helicopter due to pilot safety.
Parents and children braving the elements at Mahora School, Hastings. Photo / Duncan Brown
He said they made the decision not to airlift the stranded family as late as they could.
"The weather was no good, we couldn't get near them as it just wasn't safe," he said.
"So they will be spending the evening in their car.
The result of relentless rain in Wairoa. Photo / Wairoa District Council Facebook page
"They have got water and enough fuel in the car to run the heater when they need it. We'll get to them first light in the morning, it will be a top priority."
WDC communications strategist Kitea Tipuna said where the family got stuck was "in the middle of nowhere".
"A good 20-30 minutes outside of town and there are no houses near them, so they will have to stay in the car," he said.
A lone duck swims among the vines in Haumoana. Photo / Duncan Brown
"They are completely cut off from both sides, they can't drive out and we can't drive in."
Craig Goodier, Hawke's Bay Regional Council's senior design engineer, said the whole Wairoa region had a fair bit of rain yesterday.
"In the past 24 hours, Pukeorapa has got over 260mm of rain, while slightly lower amounts between 80mm and 150mm has fallen in other parts of the catchment," he said.
"Rainfall radar shows indications the main bulk of rain has passed, and the rain will likely taper off just after 6pm."
Mr Goodier said that, while secondary river levels started to recede late yesterday, the Wairoa River was expected to stay high, and possibly still rise another 200-300mm by about 8-10pm last night.
"High tide is also around the same time, which could result in slightly higher levels than normally expected," he said.
"Care should be taken around the edge of Wairoa town and the river should be avoided.
"The Wairoa River will stay at high levels until Tuesday morning, and there may be debris blockages at some of the smaller bridges, which could result in high water levels upstream of the bridge.
"But at this stage we are watching all our weather stations quite intently and ready to offer assistance in the form of information on an ongoing basis."
Police report the weather forced a number of road closures, including the road at Whirinaki near Napier and in the Wairoa township, at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Mitchell Rd.
Looking to the wider region, the Bay copped a severe lashing of cold, wet weather - racking up a month's worth of rain in 24 hours.
MetService meteorologist Karl Loots said much of the region had received 100mm or rain. "Which is very significant, heavy rainfall," he said.
"Wairoa has received 90mm in the last 24 hours and Napier around 52mm.
"And there are a few stations inland that have received over 100mm."
Mr Loots said such weather was unusual for this time of year.
"It is a significant event that deviates a lot from the climatological average for the region," he said. "Easterlies are not the most likely event, particularly in the month of September, and places like Napier average 50mm of rain for the month.
"So to receive nearly that in one day is very significant."
Looking to the forecast, Mr Loots said the rain and heavy falls the Bay has been experiencing will have eased off by this morning, leaving some isolated showers behind.
"So it just really cloudy tomorrow morning, with some isolated showers
"So the heavy stuff is coming to an end now," he said.
"Winds are going to continue to be strong southeasters for today and gradually easing overnight.
However, the cold temperatures accompanying the rain was an unwanted guest. "We are still in September so a lot of sheep are still lambing and the cold means there is not much grass growth."
Mr Foley was also wary of an increased risk of landslips. "Up north we have seen quite a bit of damage, but hopefully with the forecast set to clear in the next couple of days, slips won't happen here." Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers president Lesley Wilson said while they welcomed a couple of inches, they were ready for the rain to move on. "We have had a good amount of rain but it would be fabulous if it stopped now," Mrs Wilson said.
She said the risk of disease to crops is increased with the consistent rain.
"It's going to be interesting when it does stop and growers get back on the orchard. The soil is going to be a bit wet and appropriate measures will be put in place to avoid the spread of pests and disease heavy rain can bring."
Mrs Wilson conceded that the weather was out of growers' control. "It will be what it will be," she said.
