KEY POINTS:
Tourists and travellers in the Far North stranded by a washed-out bridge approach south of Cape Reinga were trying to break out of their isolation last night by helicopter and forest roads.
At least three people were being airlifted out to Pukenui, north of Kaitaia, by a helicopter, which was used earlier to fly a nurse into the cut-off area to check on patients with medical conditions.
Two of those being flown out were tourists who were driving a campervan which was in a collision with a motorcyclist on Wednesday.
The tourists were not injured but their campervan was damaged.
The 56-year-old motorcyclist was flown by Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter to Whangarei Hospital with serious chest and pelvis injuries.
He was in a moderate condition yesterday.
"We had a DoC [Department of Conservation] staff member with a first aid certificate and a medical kit who took care of him until we got there.
"We were lucky to have him turn out for us," said Northland St John operations manager Donna Austin.
Of 66 tourists gathered at isolated Waitiki Landing, 20km north of the washout on State Highway 1, a large number yesterday indicated to Houhora police constable Chris Yarnton that they wanted to come out.
Far North area civil defence co-ordinator Bill Hutchinson said Mr Yarnton would use a forest track leading on to 90 Mile Beach to take people out.
Last night's low tide on the beach, which has exit points at Hukatere and Waipapakauri further south, would make travel possible.
"Some will stay at Waitiki Landing but others who want to go and are able to are going," Mr Hutchinson said.
He said Mr Yarnton had rounded up all those at the landing yesterday and sounded out those who wanted to leave.
Communications in the area were difficult, Mr Hutchinson said.
Most landline phones were not working, there was no cellphone coverage and the only way to communicate was by DoC radio or police radio.
At the northernmost settlement of Te Hapua yesterday, resident Claire Wilson-Waitai said attendance at the school was 23 - "not a bad turnout because some children are on the other side of the bridge".
She said a teacher, Tony Marindo, had not been able to get home to Pukenui for two days and he needed to take daily medication.
Some friends had thrown his medication in a bag on a piece of string over the washout to him, she said.
Meanwhile, a barge is sailing from Te Kao up to Paua and Te Hapua carrying basic supplies such as milk and bread to residents from the shop at Te Kao.
Locals had been helping to clear slips on the Te Hapua road yesterday.
"Everyone's holding in here," Mrs Wilson-Waitai said. "We've all got power and water but some phones are down."
The Far North District Council flew a nurse by helicopter to Waitiki Landing yesterday to begin checking on about 35 patients on the books of local community health provider Whakawhiti Ora Pai.
Nurse Stephanie Hill was met by a car at the landing to begin visiting patients in the area, up to 10 of whom are dependent on oxygen supplies.
The council said contact had earlier been made with most patients but those who could not be contacted would be visited to make sure they were okay.
Mr Yarnton had also gone to the area to address any police matters before road access is restored.
No tour buses ran to Cape Reinga for the second day in a row.
The Conservation Department's overseer at Te Paki, Ed Smith, said the Te Paki stream bed - used for access on to and off 90 Mile Beach - was still too dangerous for most vehicles.
There were washouts in the bed that could not be seen under the water.
He hoped the stream would be passable for vehicles today.
