A burst pipe in Rotorua caused water to gush out on a major road.
A burst water pipe caused a spectacular sight on a busy Rotorua road overnight and caused water outages for up to 1800 properties.
Water was seen spurting higher than a light post and flinging stones in the air on Fairy Springs Rd, at the intersection with Old Quarry Rd, late on Thursday night.
Ra Ward said she was at home when her son saw images online of rushing water and went to check it out with his cousins about 11.30pm.
They sent back photos and videos, and Ward then went to check it out as well, initially thinking it was a geyser.
She said when they arrived, they saw the water reaching the height of the light post.
The boys informed them it was “a lot higher” before Ward arrived and believed someone turned down the pressure.
The burst pipe on Fairy Springs Rd.
She said the road was being “ripped up by the pressure of the water” and stones and gravel from the road were being flicking up in the air.
She said the hole the water was coming out of appeared to increase in size while they were there, and believed it was more than 1m wide by the time they left.
She expected police and council staff to be there, but said there was no one other than some contractors who realised it was not something they could fix.
People took to social media overnight saying they had no water in their homes.
The water reached the height of the lamp posts.
In a statement this morning, Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environmental solutions group manager Stavros Michael said the council was notified of the incident about 11.11pm and staff found a plug on a connection point on a 300mm-diameter water main at the corner of Old Quarry and Fairy Springs Rds had failed, causing a high-pressure leak at the road surface.
“About 2am this morning, contractors shut off the supply to the water main to enable a repair.
“Because of where the leak was located the shutdown affected a large part of Koutu and Kawaha Point area; as many as 1800 properties may have been affected.
“While investigating the leak, staff noticed there were a large number of power cables passing through the site, some of which had been damaged by the leak, which made the repair more complicated and slower to complete,” Michael said.
“Part of the road had to be closed to ensure the work was completed safely. The repair was completed and water turned back on about 7am.”
The council recommended people affected by the loss of water take the following steps to release any air bubbles that might have become trapped in water pipes while the water was out:
Turn taps on slowly to release any air from the pipes. Start with an outdoor tap and then work through indoor taps.
If the water has a milky appearance, this is because of air that has become trapped in the pipes. Let the water sit for a few minutes and it should become clear.
If the water does not clear within a few minutes, contact the council on 07 348 4199.
