Glenn Soeberg had to wait for rescue after wrecking two tyres on potholes in Central Hawke’s Bay.
Glenn Soeberg had to wait for rescue after wrecking two tyres on potholes in Central Hawke’s Bay.
A Hastings driver on his way to Hutt Hospital, where his sister was in critical care, was stranded between Waipawa and Waipukurau on Tuesday morning after hitting two potholes and damaging two tyres.
Glenn Soeberg said he “couldn’t believe it” when he hit the second pothole and found the spare tyre he’d just put on destroyed and the wheel rim bent.
“I hit the first one just north of Ōtāne, pulled into a side road and changed the tyre. I dodged more big holes in Waipawa and thought I was all good, then hit another one south of Waipawa.
“When I pulled over the second time, there was a police vehicle pulled over just ahead of me, with two flat tyres on the passenger’s side. They had hit the same pothole I did. They put out a road cone to warn people of the hazard.”
Police confirmed two tyres and a rim were damaged on a patrol vehicle after hitting a large pothole south of Waipawa.
Glenn Soeberg’s spare tyre was popped and the rim bent, just minutes after he put it on to replace a tyre that had been ruined by a pothole on State Highway 2.
Shortly afterwards, Waipukurau resident Megan Newland pulled up behind Soeburg with a damaged tyre, and an hour later two more motorists with damaged tyres pulled over just north of Waipukurau, having hit what they thought was the same pothole, which is on State Highway 2 in a 100km/h zone.
“These roading issues are dangerous and, if not sorted, will cause a serious accident,” Newland said.
One Central Hawke’s Bay tyre repair shop employee said they were repairing a minimum of “four or five” pothole-damaged tyres a day and had been for the past month.
“On Saturday we fixed five, and we were only open half a day; popped tyres, bent rims. A customer yesterday had had three wheels destroyed. We got called to one car north of Ōtāne and by the time we got there, there were five lined up - all having hit the same pothole. It’s ridiculous.
“It’s not the way we want to make money. This road damage needs to be addressed.”
Waipukurau resident Megan Newland’s damaged tyre.
Wayne Makris, manager of Central Hawke’s Bay Tyre Specialists, said they’d recently had a lot of customers with popped tyres and damaged rims, including one customer who had just driven off after having four new tyres fitted.
“He rang me 15 minutes later. His vehicle was coming back in on a truck. He’d hit a pothole just north of Waipawa.
“It’s good for business, but not for our customers. I feel sorry for them - this shouldn’t be happening. You can blame the rain, and it certainly opens the holes up, but some of them have already been there for months.”
State highways are the responsibility of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
“The continued rainfall has proved to be a recipe for pothole formation throughout Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, including along the stretch of SH2 identified,” a spokesperson said.
“While the wet weather has kept maintenance crews busy dealing with surface flooding, slips, fallen trees, debris and road closures, repairing potholes is a priority.
“We have a crew on SH2 [that is] working from Hawke’s Bay’s southernmost boundary and is working its way up the state highway specifically looking to fix potholes.
“Waka Kotahi has a duty of care to maintain the network to an appropriate level, but by their nature, roads deteriorate over time and there will be issues that appear. It is not possible to maintain the entire 11,000 kilometres of state highway in a defect-free condition, and due to this we strongly encourage all motorists to have insurance cover and to drive to the conditions.”
Motorists can request compensation for damage to a vehicle, but Waka Kotahi or its contractors will only pay if they have not taken reasonable care to maintain the state highway network in good condition.
Central Hawke’s Bay police say they have been called because of damaged tyres since heavy rain set in last week, and warn that motorists need to drive with care.
“Expect potholes, there are lots out there,” said senior constable Andy Walker. “Keep your speed down and be alert to road damage.”
Road users are encouraged to call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS to report issues.
