Footage shows a large slip in full motion as it envelops Pōrangahau Road during heavy rain on Saturday.
Video /CHBDC
Roads around Hawke’s Bay have been hit by flooding and slips from persistent rain in Hawke’s Bay on Saturday night, with Hastings District Council telling its residents to avoid unnecessary driving.
The region’s state highway network remained open on Saturday night but there were several issues - SH2 Tutira, was under stop/go due to a fallen tree, and there was flooding on SH5 Eskdale to Waipunga, SH50 Takapau to Waiohiki and SH2 Waipukurau to Hastings.
MetService about 8pm on Saturday extended their Heavy Rain Watch for Hawke’s Bay south of Wairoa, saying heavy falls were possible until 3am on Sunday.
Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group said it was watching river levels and roads.
“We wouldn’t normally post up just for a Rain Watch, but with everything happening across the North Island and the consistency of today’s rain in Hawke’s Bay, we just wanted to let you know we’ll still be keeping an eye on things.
“With any rainy day in the Bay, there is always the chance of surface ponding, slips, and fallen trees on roads. Please drive to the conditions and plan your journey with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency - Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne at: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/
“The latest updates on local road closures and impacts to local services will be available on your local Council websites.”
Hastings District Council said earlier on Saturday evening that people should “avoid travelling in Hastings if at all possible” while the prolonged period of rain continued.
“If you do have to drive take extra care; the rain has started causing slips impacting roads across the district. If this weather continues, there will be more.”
SLIP ON PŌRANGAHAU RD
Earlier in the day, the moment a large slip crawled over a major Central Hawke’s Bay road, completely enveloping both lanes, was captured on video.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council on Saturday afternoon shared the video of the slip in full motion on Pōrangahau Rd, near the Wallingford Bridge.
A council spokesperson said on social media the road, which connects Waipukurau and Pōrangahau, was expected to be closed for 24 hours amid persistent rain.
Video shows a large slip in full motion as it envelops Porangahau Rd during heavy rain on Saturday. Video / CHBDC
FATBOY SLIM CANCELLED
A heavy rain watch was earlier broadened by MetService to include coastal areas of Hawke’s Bay.
Fatboy Slim’s Napier concert was cancelled and most other regional events planned for Saturday, including the Hastings Golf Open, have also been called off for the day.
At least two people died and a state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday as floodwaters rose throughout the city during an “unprecedented” deluge of rain.
The weather system moved southeast on Saturday, though has so far caused nowhere near the level of urgency in Hawke’s Bay.
All highways remained open as at 4pm, though the SH2-Prebensen Dr roundabout was down to one lane due to surface flooding.
Roughly 13 millimetres of rain had fallen on the Heretaunga Plains from 12am to 6am, and MetService was predicting another 34mm by the end of the day with significantly more in inland areas.
A heavy rain watch is in place for inland parts of Hawke's Bay. Photo / MetService
MetService had placed a heavy rain watch on the Central North Island from southern Waikato across to Taihape and Hawke’s Bay until 8pm.
The forecaster said periods of heavy rain “may approach and possibly exceed warning amounts in localised areas”.
Organisers of Fatboy Slim’s scheduled show at Tremain Park in Napier on Saturday night called it off on Saturday morning due to the state of the grounds, with ticket holders getting full refunds over the next week.
