Slip on Thames Coast Rd near Ruamahanga and in the Karangahake Gorge SH2.
A State of Emergency has been declared in the Coromandel.
People are “strongly discouraged” from travelling to the peninsula this weekend as district authorities grapple with unfolding weather-related events such as major slips, flooding and significant sections of highway falling away.
Thames Coromandel District Council said in a statement this afternoon mayor Len Salt declared the State of Emergency at 1.35pm today.
A state of emergency can be declared when there is an event that might cause loss of life or property, which cannot be dealt with by emergency services in the normal fashion.
Salt said: “The reason I have done this is because we have an unfolding situation with vulnerable communities, vulnerable people and an emerging situation where we have the potential for landslips and further erosion that we need to manage.
“The main area affected is the west coast, the Thames Coast, from Ruamahunga northward. By declaring a state of emergency we are empowering our agencies and our emergency support services and our staff to be able to manage this situation in a way that protects property and keeps people safe and out of harm’s way,” Salt said.
The situation is “weather dependent and will depend to some degree on the extent to which the damage that has already been done by water and rainfall continues to make the hills and catchment areas vulnerable to further slips.
“There is some rain expected over the weekend but we’re hoping for some fine weather to settle the situation down to some degree.”
The east coast is less affected and can be accessed from the south, but the situation can change at short notice.
“Most people visiting and most of the residents of Thames-Coromandel District will not be aware there is a state of emergency in place. If you are out and about visiting, please keep up to date with road conditions and take care out there everyone,” Salt said.
During a state of emergency, emergency services are given additional power that will allow them to respond to and manage risk more efficiently. This can include evacuating people from at-risk areas and inspecting and accessing private property to assess or manage risk such as landslips or flooding.
It also means that services have greater and more efficient access to national resources when we need it most.
The council stated on its website that due to the dynamic nature of hazards around the district, “we strongly discourage anyone from travelling around the district unless necessary”.
“Some of our local roads and State Highways are closed due to landslips with the potential for more closures in the coming days.”
Earlier a large slip was blocking State Highway 2 near Matata this morning.
The slip is covering both lanes.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council advised those who live near the Rangitāiki River that the Matahina Dam started spilling overnight.
Slip near Matata this morning. Photo / Supplied
In a Facebook post, the council said in anticipation of heavy rain it worked with Manawa Energy, who release a controlled amount of water to “lower the dam level in the upper river catchment”.
“We do this to reduce the risk on communities in the lower part of the river, by allowing the water to flow through early in advance of more rain coming in. This also takes the pressure off the flood defences and ensures everything is working together to help protect the community.”
This would result in lower parts of the river running higher than usual for about 12 hours, council said.
Road information
Bay of Plenty/Coromandel:
State Highway Closures:
A slip is blocking SH2 near Matata.
SH33 Rotorua to Tauranga open with stop/go traffic managment in place due to a slip.
SH2 Karangahake Gorge: ROAD HAZARD: SLIP between Paeroa and Waihi (Karangahake Gorge) is open to one lane under stop/go management.
SH25 Ruamahunga (Thames Coast Road) CLOSED: Rock fall between Waiomu and Ruamahunga. This will be closed all day as geotech and abseil teams assess the condition of the face. We expect an update this afternoon on estimated opening time; however, clearance works are not expected to begin until this afternoon at the earliest depending on conditions.
SH25a Kopu-Hikuai CLOSED
State Highway Road Hazards and Expected Delays
SH25 Thames to Coromandel Town: DELAYS: There will be stop/go management in various locations with 30kmh temporary speed restrictions in place.
SH25 Coromandel Town to Whitianga: DELAYS: There will be stop/go management in various locations with 30kmh temporary speed restrictions in place.
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Rotorua:
SH33 Rotorua to Tauranga open with stop/go traffic managment in place due to a slip.
Te Kopia Rd – Remains closed due to significant scouring, blocked culverts and slips. Crews continued filling scours, grading and rolling, clearing culverts and cutouts and are also trying to fully clear the blocked culvert which caused the large road scour.
Dods Rd – Large underslip has washed out a section of road - the road is open to local residents only. Repairs will start when weather permits, but crews are adding geogrid and metal to the temp access road today - this will be reassessed again on Tuesday.
Re-opened
Hatupatu Dr has been re-opened following checks this morning. Water has receded but lake level remains high so checks will continue.
Calls received since previous update yesterday (Thursday)
Kahurangi Dr – Tomo/Sinkhole in road. Crew attended in-filled depression as a temp fix until weather improves, will continue to monitor.
Manawahe Rd - Crew report that yesterday’s slip had come down again - crew on Hamurana Rd slip redirected to clear.
Spencer Rd – Treefall. Crew attended, tree already removed on arrival.
Hamurana Rd – Treefall. Crew attended, tree removed.
Hamurana Rd – Large underslip. Crew attending the treefall noticed large underslip. Signed up to make safe, further checks today.
Work completed yesterday
Crews continued filling scours, grading and rolling, clearing culverts and cutouts and removing slips. A crew was also still trying to fully clear the blocked culvert which caused the large road scour.
Completed slip clearing on Totara Rd.
Completed slip clearing on Puaiti Rd.
Crew continued clearing slips on Endean Rd.
Crew cleared culverts and filled unsealed potholes on South Rd.
Cyclic in the Urban area checking various sites, clearing grates and attending to any urban calls that come in.
Cyclic crew completed checking all roads in the Northern area. They will be sweeping up debris, filling potholes, minor drain clearing and logging any damage for further repairs.
Work continuing today
Crews continued filling scours, grading and rolling, clearing culverts and cutouts and removing slips.
Dods Rd, Crew on site today putting more aggregate on temp bypass track.
Crew clearing silt material off Okere Rd.
Crew continuing clearing slips on Endean Rd.
Crew clearing slips on Kaharoa and then unsealed potholes on Stewart Rd.
Cyclic crew inspecting urban cycleways.
Cyclic crew repairing a manhole on Haupapa St (preseal repair) before heading to Paradise Valley Rd, Valley Rd and Endean Rd to sweep all slip sites and general detritus.
