A chunk of McVicar Rd northwest of Napier was washed out. Photo / Garth McVicar
A chunk of McVicar Rd northwest of Napier was washed out. Photo / Garth McVicar
Damage in some flood-hit areas has been as bad as the ruinous Cyclone Bola, a Hawkes Bay farmer says.
A chunk of McVicar Rd northwest of Napier was washed out, cutting off locals and ruining one couple's wedding plans.
Garth McVicar, the Sensible Sentencing Trust founder, was keeping a close eye on the deer and sheep at his farm near Te Haroto, after the storm "devastated" parts of his property.
Local residents were isolated after heavy rain pummelled the region this week.
"Telephone poles are hanging in mid-air in places...the farm itself has got quite a lot of storm damage."
He understood authorities aimed to get slips and ruined roads fixed within the next day or two.
"They're hoping to get some machinery in there today. There probably are other issues around the country that are more important than ours. We're pretty self-contained. As long as our animals are okay, we can handle being out of communication for a few days," he said.
Local residents were isolated after heavy rain pummelled this week. Photo / Garth McVicar
"You can repair the storm damage later. You've just got to make sure your animals are in high places and that they're as well as can be."
Although the heavy rains caused mayhem, Mr McVicar said the downpours would be beneficial in the long run.
"We're farmers, and the rain is a blessing. There was a drought meant to be coming. This just puts us in a better position for the summer."
Mr McVicar said a wedding planned for this weekend at nearby Mountain Valley Adventure Lodge had to be cancelled.
He and his neighbours weren't the only ones picking up the pieces after the storm.
Inspector Dean Clifford said there were multiple slips and trees down on numerous rural roads in the region.
Major routes across the central North Island, including two state highways, have been closed at various times this week.
Today, flooding again struck the Napier-Taupo Rd, and a northbound lane was partially blocked 1km north of the intersection with Shaw Rd.
Northwest of Gisborne, a dropout at the Matawai-Makaretu Rd intersection brought traffic to a crawl as a 30km/h speed restriction was imposed today.
Parts of the Napier-Taupo Rd (State Highway 5) were also closed yesterday. Parts of State Highway 56 from Opiki to Palmerston North were off-limits earlier this week.
More than 100mm of rain pounded Hawke's Bay in just 60 hours earlier this week and downpours have continued.
A severe weather watch was in place for Hawke's Bay last night with heavy rain expected to continue this afternoon.
Weather analyst Philip Duncan said the heaviest rain was slowly easing and sliding northwards into Gisborne.
"It means more pressure on waterways still recovering from Monday's deluge."
But Mr Duncan said the week-long rain event was not over yet.
"We see more rain and showers for eastern New Zealand, caught up in this easterly quarter wind flow, for the next few days."
Despite the deluge, Hawke's Bay was coping well with the heavy rain and rising river levels, Hawke's Bay Civil Defence group manager Ian Macdonald said.
