Nervous weekend for Hunterville residents as slip looms over homes

Residents of a Hunterville street in the path of a massive mud slip face a nervous wait to see if more rain over the weekend brings down more of the hillside threatening their homes.

Residents of Stewart St on the outskirts of the small northern Manawatu town were evacuated from their homes yesterday to spend the night with relatives.

With the exception of the resident of one home, which has been surrounded by mud and earth up to 2m deep, all were today able to return to their homes, Claire Scrimgeour of Rangitikei District Council said.

The slip, which began yesterday, stretches about 500m down the hill to the street but concerns that more dirt would fall away at the top of the slip today failed to materialise.

"There's been no significant further movement today, which is good," Ms Scrimgeour said.

Engineers had been at the site today, the road had been cleared, and excavation done to try and encourage the slip away from the houses.

"They've assessed that further material at the head of the slip may come down at some stage but it's really impossible to say when that will be.

"But it is a fair distance away from the houses - over 200m."

Ms Scrimgeour said there was not a significant risk to the other houses in Stewart St so residents had been allowed to return.

Civil defence would monitor the situation over the weekend but "it's a matter of hoping for no more rain really".

In Wanganui District, residents at Mangamahu, cut off since flooding last week wrecked the only bridge to the area, today received a helicopter drop of essential supplies.

Council spokeswoman Sue Dudman said the people had been pleased to get the necessities.

"They seemed to be reasonably okay out there. They've got good contacts with us but it's good for them to get some more food."

Further drops were planned next Tuesday and Friday.

Council engineers, consultants and Transit New Zealand engineers met yesterday to discuss the government-funded Bailey Bridge to be built over the Mangawhero River to restore access to Mangamahu.

Seven roads in Wanganui District, including State Highway 4 to Raetihi, remain closed.

It had been raining in the region today but the rivers had dropped and no major problems were expected.

Elsewhere in the North Island, Gisborne was forecast to receive up to 140mm of rain between noon Friday and midnight Sunday but Gisborne civil defence spokesman Richard Steele said that aside from two temporary road closures, there had been no problems so far.

In Wellington, a slip tonight closed one northbound lane of SH3 at Horokiwi. It was not known how long the lane would remain closed.

A heavy rain warning extends right down the eastern side of the North Island as far south as Wairarapa.

The Met Service warned that with the countryside already very wet, the amount of rain forecast was likely to cause problems, particularly in Wairarapa.

"People in these areas should keep an eye out for rapidly rising streams and rivers, and be aware of possible surface flooding," the Met Service said.

- NZPA