Bay of Plenty state highway closures cut off East Coast from region

State Highway 2 has reopened to one lane providing a detour to isolated East Coast and Eastern Bay of Plenty communties.

The two highways that connect Ōpōtiki and Gisborne closed overnight after the eastbound lane of SH35 collapsed into the Motu River and a massive slip came down on SH2, cutting off the East Coast from the Bay of Plenty.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said rock was being brought in to stabilise the westbound lane of SH35.

"This is challenging given the rising river levels. The safety of workers and all road users is paramount."

Traffic had been reduced to a single lane on SH35 since Monday due to the large crack in the road.

FINAL UPDATE 12:45PM#SH2 is now open under stop/go traffic management between Opotiki and Matawai. Drive with care and allow extra time. ^MF https://t.co/uvwEQXL7At

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) July 21, 2022

SH2 was closed at 3am Thursday after an estimated 200 tonnes of earth came down on to the road between Matawai and Ōpōtiki.

One lane has reopened after contractors worked to clear three slips in the Waioeka Gorge this morning.

Road users are advised to take care while contractors continue work to clear the mud and rock fall in the other lane, Waka Kotahi NZTA said in a statement this afternoon.

"With SH35 closed between Ōpōtiki and Te Kaha, it's been a priority to get SH2 open to traffic and provide a viable detour to SH35.

"There is still running water coming down the larger slip, so there is a risk of further incidents occurring," the statement said.

"Over-dimension vehicles are not be able to access the site due to the narrow width of the lane."

Community response to closures

Ōpōtiki Civil Defence controller, Gerard McCormack said there was not yet a timeframe for a fix.

"It is a relief to have a few days of good weather to get a better handle on this situation. We have been fortunate to have a couple of days to prepare and help make sure that there are good supplies on the coast side of the closure, things like food, fuel and medical supplies."

McCormack said the coast community was really resilient and had good planning in place for the situation.

"With half the road in the river, there is just no safe way to get vehicles through that section at the moment."

McCormack wanted to reassure those stuck on either side of the undercut slip that necessary supplies would make it through.

"[I'm] particularly acknowledging the emergency planning of Te Whānau a Apanui. Other agencies are also working hard to make sure there is support for the coast while access is difficult."

Damaged area of SH35. Photo / Supplied

McCormack said logistics for emergency access to the closed road site would be sorted shortly.

"We are sorting out the logistics of getting supplies across and if anyone needs anything transported in either direction urgently, please contact [Opotiki District] council."

Meanwhile, McCormack warned people to stay off the river.

"There have been a few reports of boats crossing and it is just not safe to do so currently. The water is still high and the riverbanks are unstable. With the works going on to repair the road, boats are also just going to get in the way."

Ōpōtiki mayor Lyn Riesterer said agencies were meeting this morning about the closures.

"We have not declared an emergency but we have our civil defence office," Riesterer told the Bay of Plenty Times.

"We're not in control of nature but our contingency plans are the best they can be at the moment."

Riesterer said cracks in SH35 were found on Sunday and plans to work around potential road closures were worked out by Monday.

"What we tried to do is get supplies in place on the other side of the road."

SH35 has washed away at Motu River. Photo / Opotiki District Council

Riesterer said locals had been issued with warnings over the last few days as they would not be able to drive back to Ōpōtiki at all if the road closed.

"This is going to be a long-term problem and different agencies were going to develop a plan for moving forward.

"The big issue for us is a lot of our primary industries come through those highways from Gisborne and are trucked through to the Port of Tauranga for export."

The closure of SH35, Riesterer said, had resulted in a five to six hour detour through SH2 and now even that detour was unavailable.

"Waka Kotahi need to elevate the importance of those two routes," Riesterer said.

"They're used regularly by fairly large numbers on a daily basis.

"People are in and out to their homes for work. There's a lot of horticultural and commercial travel as well.

"It's not a highly populated area but there is nowhere else for anybody to drive."

Riesterer said Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty had been in contact with her about the situation.

SH35 has washed away at Motu River. Photo / Opotiki District Council

Gisborne resident Trish Lee spoke to Bay of Plenty Times on the way to Waikato Hospital for surgery, scheduled for 7am Friday.

The road closures will add four hours' drive to her journey.

"We usually go Waioeka Gorge. However, due to slips and the road closure near Te Kaha, our route is now Hawkes Bay and Taupō," Lee said.

Lee said Te Whatu Ora Tairawhiti provided petrol vouchers which helped to take some of the stress off the trip.

"I think when you live in Gisborne, it's almost expected you will add in road closures and other alternative routes as part of your trip, especially when the weather is wet.

"We will take it nice and slow as we have plenty of time to get to our destination."

Robert Monk, owner of Robert Monk Transport, said he had five to eight trucks travel to Gisborne from Ōpōtiki every day.

"I've got five [trucks] here in the yard loaded with foodstuffs that can't go anywhere."

"We've had to pull all our other trucks up. We've got a lot of cartage still to get up from the East Coast that we can't get."

Monk said the delays and detours would come at a high cost.

"If we have to go around via Taupō back into Gisborne we're talking about $1500 to $2000 extra."

Monk said the slips on SH2 had been happening "for a long while".

"The powers that be are being reactive, not proactive."

Waihau Bay Lodge manager Puti Kemara described her local community as "pretty resilient".

"We've got hapu chairs that get into civil defense mode to help all the people within their rohe," Kemara told the Bay of Plenty Times.

"We just help each other out. We get through."

Kemara said the gas company had said they would come through Waikaremoana to get to Waihau Bay if needed.

"Frozen food, milk, cream and all that come through from Gisborne and that road is still open. Bidfood will have to come through there too."

Kemara said it was still raining.

"There's no fishing to be done because it's pretty rough. The paddocks are drenched.

"[But] the Four Square is still open and we have a little shop here."

Large crack on SH35. Photo / Supplied

Kemara said people were lining up at the local petrol station, which was the last one for about 100kms.

Te Kaha Holiday Park employee Jolene said the park's shop had been busy.

"People think it's like the end of the world and they've been buying up a storm, stocking up."

She said some of the store's supplies usually came up from Opotiki.

"We can't get any milk or bread at the moment. We're just about right out of that."

Jolene said she remembered SH35 closing a few years ago for similar reasons.

"They had to make a whole new road until they fixed it."

Several other state highways in Bay of Plenty and Coromandel closed

SH 36 between Rotorua and Tauranga is closed to all vehicles from 10am today to 7pm Friday 22 July for repairs at Mangapouri bridge.

The abutment of the single-lane Mangapouri bridge has scoured resulting in a hole beneath the road and uneven surface on the bridge deck.

The road is closed between Tauranga and Ngongotahā in both directions.

The alternative routes are SH2 and SH33 through Pāpāmoa and Paengaroa, or SH5/SH28/ SH29 over the Kaimai Range.

Traffic is down to one eastbound and one westbound lane and a 50km/h speed restriction is in place near the Kaimai Range summit on SH29 where culvert repair work is being carried out.

The restrictions are expected to be in place this week while contractors establish the extent of the culvert dislodgement and blockages.

SH36 TAURANGA TO NGONGOTAHA - PLANNED CLOSURE
To effect emergency repairs at the Mangapouri Bridge #SH36 will be CLOSED from 10am TODAY (Thu 21 July) until approx 7pm on Friday 22 July. Plan ahead for a detour via SH33/2 or SH29: https://t.co/1wZLue0dJR ^TP pic.twitter.com/frSFQPaWXQ

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) July 20, 2022

A large slip has also closed SH25 between Coromandel and Whitianga in the Te Rerenga area.

Te Puke Highway, near Pah Rd, will be reduced to one lane at times Thursday and Friday to allow the contractor to safely repair potholes that have formed because of the rain and put a new layer of surfacing down.

People are asked to take extra care when travelling through the site by following the temporary 30km/h speed limit, traffic management and directions from staff.

The alternative route is the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road – tolls are being collected during this time.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional manager for maintenance and operations, Rob Campbell, said the Bay of Plenty and East Coast state highway network had been hit hard by the recent severe weather with slips, drop-outs and flooding.

"We encourage everyone to take extra care when driving, watch for hazards, adjust their speed and check our Journey Planner map before heading off so they know which routes are affected."

SH25 COROMANDEL TO WHITIANGA - ROAD CLOSED - 7:00AM
Due to a large slip overnight #SH25 is currently CLOSED in the Te Rerenga area, east of Coromandel. Delay your journey or consider travel via SH25/25A via Hiuai/Kopu: https://t.co/FcE7jB8xga ^TP pic.twitter.com/pOAT09xQNK

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) July 20, 2022

Cancelled flights

Five flights in and out of Tauranga Airport from Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland have been cancelled.

The flight NZ 8258 from Wellington was due in at 5.15pm, NZ 5143/QF 8637 from Auckland at 7.25pm and NZ 8262 from Wellington was expected to arrive at 8.25pm.

Christchurch flight NZ 8808 due to arrive in Tauranga at 8.40pm and NZ 8263 due to depart for Wellington at 5.40pm have also been cancelled.