SH35 has washed away at Motu River. Video / David Kauta
It could be "weeks and months" before a crumbled section of State Highway 35 in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is rebuilt for long-term use.
And stranded local residents thinking "it's like the end of the world" have already cleaned out the local store's bread and milk supplies.
A stretch of highway between Ōpōtiki and Te Kaha collapsed into the Motu River on Wednesday evening, forcing the closure of the road between the Bay of Plenty and East Coast, isolating some coastal communities.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional maintenance and operations manager Rob Campbell said the collapse was the result of "Mother Nature".
"We've had an incredible amount of rainfall and the river has swollen and changed its course quite dramatically, undermining the material between the river and the road," Campbell said.
"We knew [SH35] was cracking on Monday and were in there trying to protect it."
But increased rainfall overnight meant the river rose by a further metre.
Campbell said the focus now was on protecting what was left of the road but "it's very early stages".
"We need to get access to the site and for that, we have to wait for the river to drop. Until we have that information, it's speculation as to what our options might be."
A section of SH35 near Te Kaha has collapsed into Motu River. Photo / Supplied
Campbell said Waka Kotahi could not provide an alternative route for now, other than for motorists to drive south to Gisborne and access other coastal towns from there.
"That's very inconvenient. We apologise for that."
Campbell said long-term repair of SH35 would take a significant period of time and "we don't have a clear timeframe, it's weeks and months".
"Our priority in the short-term is to build temporary access as soon as we can. Then we will reset and look at different scenarios."
Campbell said it was likely Waka Kotahi would have to bring in a lot of material to rebuild the route.
Until temporary access can be built, the priority would be to keep SH2 open as an alternate route.
Campbell said Waka Kotahi was attending all Civil Defence meetings and would continue to support Civil Defence efforts to provide for the isolated communities.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional maintenance and operations manager Rob Campbell. Photo / George Novak
Ōpōtiki Civil Defence controller Gerard McCormack said the coast community had good planning in place for such a situation. If anyone needed anything transported in either direction urgently, they should contact the Ōpōtiki District Council, because people were warned to stay off the Motu River, he said.
"There have been a few reports of boats crossing and it is just not safe to do so currently. The water is still high and the riverbanks are unstable. With the works going on to repair the road, boats are also just going to get in the way."
Yesterday, contractors worked to clear three slips in the Waioeka Gorge after SH2 was closed at 3am when an estimated 200 tonnes of earth came down on to the road between Matawai and Ōpōtiki.
FINAL UPDATE 12:45PM#SH2 is now open under stop/go traffic management between Opotiki and Matawai. Drive with care and allow extra time. ^MF https://t.co/uvwEQXL7At
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) July 21, 2022
Ōpōtiki mayor Lyn Riesterer said the detour through SH2 could result in delays of five to six hours.
Access to primary industries was the big issue and she believed the importance of the two routes needed to be elevated.
"People are in and out of their homes for work. There's a lot of horticultural and commercial travel as well.
"It's not a highly populated area but there is nowhere else for anybody to drive," she said.
Gisborne resident Trish Lee spoke to NZME on the way to Waikato Hospital for surgery, scheduled for 7am today.
The road closures added four hours' drive to her journey, she said.
"We usually go Waioeka Gorge. However, due to slips and the road closure near Te Kaha, our route is now Hawke's Bay and Taupō."
Lee said Te Whatu Ora Tairawhiti provided petrol vouchers which helped to take some of the stress off the trip.
"I think when you live in Gisborne, it's almost expected you will add in road closures and other alternative routes as part of your trip, especially when the weather is wet."
Waihau Bay Lodge manager Puti Kemara described her local community as "pretty resilient".
SH35 has washed away at Motu River. Photo / Supplied
"We just help each other out. We get through."
Kemara said people were lining up at the local petrol station, which was the last one for about 100km.
Te Kaha Holiday Park employee Jolene, who would only be known by her first name, said the park's shop had been busy.
"People think it's like the end of the world and they've been buying up a storm, stocking up."
Jolene said some of the store's supplies usually came up from Ōpōtiki.
"We can't get any milk or bread at the moment. We're just about right out of that."
Jolene said she remembered SH35 closing a few years ago for similar reasons.
"They had to make a whole new road until they fixed [the highway]."
Meanwhile, Horizon Networks advised customers there were limited staff stationed in Te Kaha to deal with any emergency faults.
"Customers, however, may experience delays in restoration if we are required to transport plant, equipment and additional staff from Whakatāne via Gisborne, that cannot be flown in by helicopter."
