Fate of houses clinging to cliffs hangs in balance

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

The fate of two houses left clinging for dear life - or grim death - to a cliff edge above Ohiwa Harbour should be known next week.

Mike and Meg Collins and their neighbours Jim and Pam Greenaway have had five weeks of worry since last month's flooding and landslides in the Bay of Plenty.

A Herald photograph of their homes teetering on the brink, which appeared in newspapers around the world, became a symbol of the disaster.

The couples were advised not to live in the buildings while experts ascertained whether they could be salvaged or would have to be condemned.

But the Collins elected to stay, believing their place - "a bach that grew" - was structurally solid and far enough from the precipice to be safe.

More at risk is a 10-year-old addition in front of the house, a bed-and-breakfast cabin with a large deck and spectacular sea views.

Outside it now is an almost sheer drop down to Ohiwa Harbour Rd.

Gone are the carefully created paths and gardens that had enhanced the slopes below their and their neighbours' house.

An enormous pohutukawa in front of the Greenaways' house was swept down to the harbour in a mudslide, leaving both properties more exposed to the elements, with the Greenaways' home being particularly vulnerable to further erosion.

A meeting on site with officials from the Earthquake Commission and Opotiki District Council next Wednesday is expected to decide the future of the much-loved homes.

Options are to condemn the buildings or repair them and somehow stabilise the massive bank.

Looking down at his "steps to nowhere" outside the cabin and alongside the outdoor spa pool, Mike Collins said hopefully: "We've bought $100 worth of wildflower seeds but will have to wait and see what happens."