Flooding on the road to Hahei at Cook's Beach, Coromandel. Photo / Mike Scott
Flooding on the road to Hahei at Cook's Beach, Coromandel. Photo / Mike Scott
The weather is looking up for Waikato, but the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle are here to stay for a while.
Clean-up works resumed on Thursday and road users should expect significant disruption and potential delays, especially when travelling through the Coromandel.
State Highway 25 (SH25) has reopened in sections for essential travel only, restoring access between Thames and Matarangi, while slips between Hikuai and Whangamata have also been cleared.
This means people in towns on the east coast like Whitianga and Tairua can now leave the peninsula and supplies can get in.
State Highway 2, Paeroa to Waihi through the Karangahake Gorge, has also reopened to essential travel only, but extreme caution is required on this section due to remaining areas of debris and mud on the road and slippery surface areas.
Some sections have 30km/h or 50km/h temporary speed limits in place.
SH25 is still closed between Ruamahanga Bay and Tapu on the Thames-Coast Highway. Photo / Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency
At the time of writing, SH25 was still closed between Ruamahanga Bay and Tapu on the Thames-Coast Highway due to an emerging risk posed by a slip with suspended trees. Only emergency services and Civil Defence can get through here. For all closed roads go to the Waka Kotahi website and Facebook page.
Thames-Coromandel District Council urged people to not ignore road closed signs.
“It is dangerous. Waka Kotahi contractors have brought police out at two key state highway points to stop drivers breaking the rules and also to stop the public abusing staff,” the council said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The cyclone which hit the region on Monday night has caused numerous flooded roads, power outages and major roads to close with Coromandel having been hit hardest.
The Defence Force deployed staff to the Coromandel on Wednesday to help with the post-cyclone response. The district has been isolated for almost two days as all major arterial roads were closed and power outages were widespread across the district.
A slip on Matarangi Rd on the Coromandel. Photo / TCDC
Coromandel Civil Defence controller Gary Towler told Kerre Woodham Mornings on Newstalk ZB Wednesday morning: “Every time our land guys clear a slip, another one comes down right behind them.”
Towler says if people want to visit their homes and baches, they should “take a breath” and check the NZTA website and social media pages for information on road conditions.
“People need to have a go-bag and Plan B in case a slip blocks their path. That will be the case for the next five or six days,” Towler says.
“But people should check their properties as quickly as possible so we know if we’re dealing with any other stretches.”
However, he urges people not to go out for an adventure.
“Please do not venture out for a sightseeing roadie, you will not get far. Please take care if you are out for a walk along the beaches and waterways, the coastline is still getting a battering from huge seas.”
A slip across the road at Sailors Grave, near Tairua, during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Leonard Powell
With several people throughout the district still displaced by the cyclone, the council was working to ensure accommodation, food and wider needs are being met on Wednesday, however, the council expects this to be an ongoing task well into next week.
The Government declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday morning. Waikato District and Hauraki District councils declared a state of emergency in their districts on Monday afternoon. Thames-Coromandel District Council has been in a state of emergency since the Auckland Anniversary weekend.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has started the post-cyclone clean-up, however the city came through better than many parts of the country.
Hamilton City Council received more than 350 calls, 138 emails and 75 Antenno messages on Monday night, reporting issues or asking questions.
The clean-up after the cyclone has begun in Hamilton where lots of trees have been fallen over, like this one at the Hamilton Lake Domain. Photo / Hamilton City Council
Civil Defence controller Kelvin Powell says the council and Civil Defence teams were working through the night and began to clear trees, fallen branches, blocked drains, cleaning spills and other debris.
“Some of the larger trees will take time to clear so please be patient,” Powell says.
The full clean-up is likely to take weeks, the council says.
