Guy Hessell pictured here with a slip that destroyed a bridge in the gardens. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Guy Hessell pictured here with a slip that destroyed a bridge in the gardens. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Quail Cafe and the visitor centre at the Whangārei Quarry Gardens have been deemed safe to enter after a nail-biting few weeks, after both were hit by storm damage.
The gardens are now open, and the Quail Cafe is aiming to open by the end of this week.
Enormous slips caused by Cyclone Gabrielle last month placed the future of the Whangārei Quarry Gardens in jeopardy, with geotech reports carried out to assess the safety of the area.
Garden Manager Guy Hessell told the Advocate that he and volunteers are feeling “overjoyed” that the gardens can open to the public.
“They (volunteers) came back last Wednesday and were really relieved to get back and get stuck into it,” he said.
“It’s a big weight off everyone’s shoulders that we can safely open.”
The Whangārei Quarry Gardens opened over the weekend to provide “disaster tours” which gave visitors an insight into the enormity of slips that damaged around 25 per cent of the gardens.
The tours were hugely successful, with around 250 people visiting over Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can now enter the gardens through the back of the carpark, as slips mean the main entrance is not accessible.
Hessell and volunteers at the gardens have remained positive, despite the unprecedented nature of the slips that threaten the gardens.
“We are quite used to slips but not of this magnitude,” Hessell said.
He explained around 75 per cent of the gardens remained intact after the cyclone.
“We’ve dodged a bullet really, in a lot of ways,” he said.
One slip destroyed the garden which features a sculpture by artist Chris Booth. A waterfall that once cascaded into a gently flowing stream is now gone, buried under metres of clay. A bridge, gifted by volunteers to connect the gardens over a stream was also destroyed.
The second, larger slip took out much of the Arid Garden as well as multiple shelters that had recently been built for garden patrons.
Garden Manager Guy Hessell with Chris Booths' sculpture, Te Wai U O Te Atakura, which has now been destroyed by landslides. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Garden Manager Guy Hessell shows one of the major slips from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Hessell said he spoke to engineers and contractors on Monday, who are planning to make a start this week on clearing large trees that are blocking the stream, before helping clear main slips.
Some areas of the gardens remain cordoned off, and Hessell explained visitors need to “heed the obvious warnings”.
“The safety fence is there to protect the public from the slips which could still be active,” he said.
The community has pulled together in an effort to support the gardens, including a generous donation last week from Geckos Childcare Centres, which raised $520 and surprised Hessell last week.
The money will go towards plants that will regenerate the gardens. Other members of the public have also donated plants.
Hessell said he and the volunteers are thankful for the support and concern.
Much concern was also extended to the owner of Quail Cafe, Lily Grau. The building for Quail Cafe in the Quarry Gardens had been yellow-stickered after massive slips in the gardens called into question the safety of the nearby building.
Quail Cafe owner Lily Grau. Photo / Michael Cunningham
The Northland hospitality industry pulled together in support of the Quail team, fundraising through their collective “Hospo 4 Hospo” to support the cafe during weeks of closure in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastation.
Grau described the support from the community as a “massive hug”.
There is much organisation to do before the cafe can reopen. Grau said when the building was yellow-stickered, she had to stop all supplies at the cafe.
“There is so much organising involved, but I’m so excited,” she said, “I can’t wait to be back with the team and the customers.”
Grau said that she is hoping to open Quail later this week, however, she encourages patrons to check the Facebook page for official updates.
