Heavy seas pound Palliser coast

A Whatarangi property that is slowly washing away on a stretch of vulnerable South Wairarapa coast.

Monster waves have pounded Wairarapa's south coast over the past few days, leaving behind rocks, debris and damage to Cape Palliser Rd.

Liz Ryniker, who has had a house in Whatarangi for 20 years and regularly goes fishing off the coast, said there was water coming up to places where it had never been before.

She said the sea was at the highest level she'd ever seen.

"It's the worst I've ever seen it, I've never seen it like that."

She said the road was "quite bad" and there were council contractors assessing damage yesterday. Rosemary Rayner, a Cape Palliser resident said the seas had been rough on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing seals and other wildlife to shore.

"It was huge, about a six to seven metre swell.

"It's still fairly big now but nothing like it was.

"Where they put the new road, it's washed out a bit there."

MetService said the swells, which have since eased, were caused by a large area of low pressure to the south east of the country.

Mrs Rayner said the rough seas were bad news for the unoccupied houses on one section of the coast.

She said for a long time, they had been slowly dropping off into the sea.

"Every time we get a big sea, a bit more drops off.

"They have tried to save them with big boulders ... it's pretty vicious when the sea gets that big."

What was left of an unoccupied house near Te Kopi, also know as Ning Nong Bay, damaged by erosion and rough seas in the past, had been swallowed up by the ocean in recent weeks.

Heavy seas have eaten away a stretch of Cape Palliser Rd over the past several days.

A seal makes for higher ground, as monster waves curn and crash against coastline rocks.

South Wairarapa District Council group manager infrastructure services Mark Allingham said rocks had been thrown up on the road.

"The damage was not excessive but extensive."

He said the repair costs were not yet known but would be able to be covered from existing budgets and carried out straight away without the road needing to be closed or traffic disrupted.

"This is a seasonally common event and one that council is ready to deal with when it occurs."