This slump triggered by last week's rain has closed West Coast Rd, all but cutting off the North Hokianga settlements of Panguru and Mitimiti. Photo / FNDC
This slump triggered by last week's rain has closed West Coast Rd, all but cutting off the North Hokianga settlements of Panguru and Mitimiti. Photo / FNDC
Residents of an already isolated North Hokianga settlement are now almost entirely cut off from the outside world by two serious slips.
More than 10 per cent of students at Panguru Area School, or Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, are currently unable to get to school.
Some Panguru workers can't get to their jobs, supermarket trips have become expeditions, and the Rawene-based doctor can't reach the local clinic.
Mitimiti residents, who live even further west, face similar challenges.
School principal Mina Pomare said Panguru residents, like most country folk, were resourceful and used to making do.
However, some people were feeling frustrated, isolated and cut off.
West Coast Rd, the only sealed route to Panguru, was now severed in two places.
A slip near the urupā (cemetery), about 1km east of town, was triggered by July's rain. Contractors had dug into the bank to make just enough room for a car to get around the edge of the slip.
It was not safe, however, for buses or vans carrying children to school. Some locals heading into town preferred to park on the far side of the slip and walk the rest of the way.
About 5km further east, near Motutī, the road had been closed completely by a major slump caused by last week's deluge.
More than 10 per cent of students at Te Kura Taumata o Panguru are unable to get to school. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Seventeen of the school's 114 students were currently unable to get to school, Pomare said.
Those who lived at Pawarenga were taking lessons online at home while some who lived east of the slip were attending temporary classes at Motutī Marae.
A similar approach was taken after the devastating flood of 1999 when classrooms were set up in three marae around the area.
Her biggest concern, however, was medical provisions.
Doctors were unable to travel to the local clinic from Rawene so they had gone back to the lockdown practice of holding online consultations.
Panguru residents are a resourceful lot used to making do, a community leader says. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Fortunately, people could still drive to the clinic in Broadwood, via Runaruna Rd and Pawarenga Rd. From Broadwood they could get to Kaitaia or to State Highway 1 at Mangamuka if they needed to head south.
Runaruna Rd was, however, long, narrow, winding and unsealed.
People were changing how they did things, making do, and re-evaluating what they really needed to buy and what they could do without.
"I commend our people for being resilient and coming up with solutions. But the real solution is for our district and regional councils to work together to get our roads open. A quick, temporary fix first, then a long-term solution," she said.
The July slip on West Coast Rd, about 1km out of Panguru, after a temporary fix but before last week's torrential rain. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A spokesman for the Far North District Council said it was not yet known when West Coast Rd could be repaired.
An underslip near the intersection with Motutī Rd had undermined the road, causing serious subsidence and requiring significant work to stabilise.
However, ongoing instability meant engineers hadn't been able to assess the slip properly.
"The ground is still moving ... Until it's safe for them to access the site, plans for a permanent fix can't be developed."
The closure had a major impact on Panguru and Mitimiti residents who had to detour via Broadwood to access the Hokianga ferry or SH1.
The new slip was more serious than last month's underslip near Nahareta Urupā so repairs were likely to take weeks.
Slips have also closed SH1 through Mangamuka Gorge for an indefinite period.
Though small, Panguru is nationally significant as the home of "Te Whaea o te Motu" (Mother of the Nation) Dame Whina Cooper. A statue to the leader of the famous Land March of 1975 was unveiled at Panguru's Waipuna Marae in 2020.
