Road ends for 'tarseal terrorists'

Rural Far North residents and their district council just could not understand it.

Barely 25 per cent of the region's 2000km-plus of local council-controlled roading is sealed, so when contractors arrived to start work on Signal Station Rd at Omapere late last year, most people seemed happy.

But not all. The self-styled Hokianga County Rebelist Band began a sustained attack on new roading it saw as threatening the local environment, attracting pollution and generating rubbish.

Over 14 months, two local roads and part of a Transit-administered highway were dug up at night, signs went missing and road markings were removed.

Ratepayers were left with a bill of thousands of dollars for repairs. The Transit bill is estimated at $16,000.

Sometimes those responsible left an identifying trademark with a placard or painted sign message.

But the band ran out of road, with the arrest a week ago of two men.

They have been jointly charged with eight counts of wilful damage to roads and await a formal court appearance to enter a plea.

Signal Station Rd, near Omapere, leads to a lookout point offering spectacular views over the Hokianga Harbour, its breathtaking sand dunes and west coast ocean breakers - just the sort of spot that attracts hundreds of visitors.

Last December, the road was dug up for the third time.At the time the district council estimated the total vandalism bill at more than $20,000.

Assistant roading manager Marius Gabriels said then that a pick or some other hand tool had been used to break up the surface of the newly sealed road.

On two occasions in the month before, a channel was dug across the road, culverts were blocked and damage was threatened to machinery while Signal Station Rd was being prepared for 2km of sealing.

The vandals left a placard warning of continued protest action.

The only contact with the band had been some weeks earlier, when an anonymous caller told the council the protests were against increased tourist activity and development.

Two of the eight charges against the arrested men relate to damage on Signal Station Rd. Two more relate to similar incidents on Koutu Loop Rd at Whirinaki.

Police say the remaining four charges involve tarseal damage to State Highway 12 south of Hokianga.

Mr Cramp said the two men had turned themselves in to police "as soon as they knew the game was up".

They are expected to appear in the Kaikohe District Court within two weeks.

Trench warfare

* Two men have been jointly charged with eight counts of wilful damage to roads.

* Surfaces were dug up at night, culverts blocked, and signs and road markings were removed.

* The repair bill runs into tens of thousands of dollars.