Homes threatened as hillside collapses

The slip came half a kilometre down a valley. Picture / Wanganui Chronicle

A slip pushed two metres of earth up against two homes yesterday and forced residents out of four houses.

A hillside, saturated from incessant rain, collapsed and slid more than 300m towards the houses in the Manawatu town of Hunterville.

Jonathan Monks, whose parents' house was one of those threatened, said the slip had moved to within 30cm of the home.

"At the moment we're just moving sentimental things out of No.6 here, and there's a house that's been completely blocked.

"It's right up against our house at the moment. A fair portion of the hillside has dropped off."

Mr Monks said the slip had stopped moving, but with more rain forecast overnight he was not willing to take any chances.

Rangitikei District Council emergency manager Stan Dulieu said two houses were most at risk, one of them surrounded by earth up to 2m high.

Another two were evacuated as Civil Defence took a cautious approach to the prospect of further slips overnight.

Those evacuated were staying with relatives.

"The slip's just on the outskirts of the town. It's spewed out and down a valley nearly half a kilometre," Mr Dulieu said.

"It's hit a house, gone around the house, across the road and up against another house."

Mr Dulieu expected the houses would be able to be occupied once the dirt was removed and remedial work done.

"They haven't really been moved any distance, but they've certainly been pushed and surrounded."

Engineers were assessing the damage and a Civil Defence vehicle would remain at the scene overnight.

There was a risk of further slippage, with more earth at the top of the slip looking precarious.

"If the rain gets into there I would say that's going to fall away as well," Mr Dulieu said.

Rivers throughout the district were running high, he said, but the rain had stopped so they were expected to reach only half the height at which they peaked last week.

North of Hunterville, SH4 remained closed between Raetihi and Wanganui, also because of a slip.

Flooding was also affecting SH3 north of Wanganui, and there were multiple road warnings across the lower and central North Island.

In the South Island, snow closed the Milford road.

The outlook

Heavy rain is forecast today for eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. The MetService is warning residents of these areas to keep an eye out for rapidly rising rivers and streams.

- NZPA