Massive slip in Māhia: About 8000 tonnes of soil closes road

A major slip on Tuesday has taken out a section of Kinikini Rd, which runs down the length of the Māhia Peninsula from the Māhia township. Photo / Wairoa District Council

About 8000 tonnes of soil has crashed down and blocked a 50 metre section of road on the Māhia Peninsula on Tuesday.

Māhia has suffered four major slips blocking lanes across its roading network in the 48 hours since heavy rain hit the region over the weekend and start of the week.

The latest major slip swept over a section of Kinikini Rd, at the bluffs, according to a Facebook post from the Wairoa District Council about midday Tuesday.

“Roading contractors and geotech engineers are gathering to be onsite tomorrow to assess the situation,” the Wairoa District Council post said.

“We will be in contact with the whānau on the other side of the slip to support them during this closure.”

A Wairoa District Council spokeswoman said about 8000 tonnes of soil came down with the slip and it was about 50 metres across.

The road runs for several kilometres along the coast from the Māhia township to part way down the peninsula.

The spokeswoman said the slip was about 600 metres from the start of the road.

About 8000 tonnes of material came down with the Kinikini Rd slip, creating a gap about 50 metres across. Photo / Wairoa District Council

Wairoa District Council gave updates for three other slips that had been attended by contractors over the last two days.

The first was on Māhia East Coast Rd in Maungawhio, first notified on Sunday, while the second was between Te Mahia School and Browns Rise and Māhia East Coast Rd, first notified on Monday.

While initially closed, both sections of road are now open to single-lane traffic only, as of noon Tuesday.

The third slip is near Opoutama, past the lookout, and is also open for single-lane access only according to the post.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz