State Highway 25a on the Coromandel Peninsula has completely collapsed near the summit after heavy rain caused widespread slips and damage across the upper North Island. Photo / Waka Kotahi
State Highway 25a on the Coromandel Peninsula has completely collapsed near the summit after heavy rain caused widespread slips and damage across the upper North Island. Photo / Waka Kotahi
The State Highway 23 divvy remained closed between Raglan and Whatawhata on Thursday due to a slip west of Glentui Lane, with people wanting to spend the long weekend in Raglan warned to be prepared for a detour via Ngāruawāhia.
The closure between Karakariki Rd and Waitetuna Valley Rd has been in place since Wednesday evening and was extended the next morning as the fissures had grown overnight, the Waka Kotahi NZTA journey planner showed.
Waka Kotahi system manager for the Waikato, Cara Lauder, says the agency has done everything it can to prevent further damage, but this hasn’t been enough to stop the cracks from getting worse.
“We understand how important the highway is to locals in Raglan, but our priority must be to act as quickly as necessary to keep everyone safe.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, Waikato District mayor Jacqui Church described SH23 as “hugely strategic”.
“Both Council and Waka Kotahi staff have and continue to monitor this... key roading network for safety and for usability. This is extremely important to our Raglan citizens and our council as a whole as the lifeline of Whaingaroa [Raglan],” she says.
Meanwhile, the weather forecast yields hope that there will be just isolated showers on the weekend for most of Waikato, but things are not so cheery for the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.
MetService issued a heavy rain watch for the two regions on Wednesday night, because a weather front moving eastwards across the Bay of Plenty and was expected to “reverse direction” and move back towards the Coromandel Peninsula , the MetService forecast reads.
The "divvy" between Raglan and Hamilton (State Highway 23) has been closed since Wednesday evening due to the severity of cracking and slumping. Photo / NZTA
There is also a heavy rainfall watch in place for the Hunua Ranges. In all these areas, the amount of rain would not normally be enough to justify a watch, but the impact of this rain could be greater due to the recent flooding.
Several roads in the Coromandel are inaccessible, including SH25A Kōpu-Hikuai, Neavesville Rd and the Tapu Coroglen road which are all closed for the foreseeable future.
Waka Kotahi has taken the first step to restore State Highway 25A by engaging specialist contractors to get a clear picture of the full extent of the slip damage.
Lauder says the agency has engaged geotechnical engineers and local maintenance contractors who will clear material and develop a safe temporary access track to allow people and machinery to access the site.
She says that Waka Kotahi expects to have initial information on the next steps in the repair and restoration of SH25A to share with the public next week, if the weather and ground conditions allow safe access to the site.
State Highway 26 (SH26) from Te Aroha to Paeroa is open but may still be subject to surface flooding. Photo / NZTA
SH2 Karangahake Gorge is open, but down to one lane and under Stop/Go traffic management. Motorists are advised to take extra care through the area and expect delays.
For more information and road closures visit the NZTA website.
The Coromandel had 1.5 metres of rain so far this year, a figure the region normally gets to by June and July. As a result, the council expect slips around the roading network and on properties to continue even for some weeks to come.
On Wednesday morning, the local police evacuated residents from three properties at Thornton Bay, located north of Thames, as a precaution due to a slip.
Department of Conservation huts and campsites across the Coromandel Peninsula have all been closed to visitors until the weather warnings for the district are lifted.
Road contractors clearing a slip near the Crown Hill Rd footbridge in the SH2 Karangahake Gorge. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
The closures affect popular locations in the Kauaeranga Valley, the Pinnacles Hut, and various campsites in northern Coromandel including Port Jackson and Fletcher Bay.
The Cathedral Cove walkway, which leads to one of Coromandel’s most famous beaches near Hahei, is also closed.
Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler says: “It is unknown territory for all of us, so expect the unexpected, stay vigilant and be proactive if you notice anything.
“We have a long way to go this summer with even more ex-tropical storms possible before calmer weather returns.”
Due to the extreme weather conditions, Waikato Regional Council and Te Whatu Ora Public Health Unit for Waikato urge all recreational water users not to use coastal beaches, lakes, rivers and streams until at least next Tuesday following heavy rainfall due to potential bacterial contamination.
This contamination can cause severe illnesses, such as diarrhoea, vomiting, skin infections or ear infections.
There are lots of slips in the Waitomo District that have yet to be cleared. Photo / Waitomo District Council Facebook
The recent torrential rain also had a blast in the Waitomo and Matamata-Piako Districts.
Waitomo District Council said the recent weather in Te Kūiti was very close to a one-in-250-years storm event as the small town received a total of 250mm of rain across the past long weekend with a total of 172.5mm recorded on Saturday alone.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the council says: “Based on the historical rainfall data, Saturday’s rainfall was well over a 1:100-year storm event and very close to a 1:250-year storm event.”
The council also closed the top section of Motakiora/ Brook Park for all recreational use until further notice. A large slip has taken out part of the mountain bike track and parts of the summit track are now hazardous as well.
Matamata-Piako also reports flooding and damage to roads. The local council says the heavy rain put “extreme strain” on the district’s water and wastewater network and people are urged to conserve water.
Local river levels are still on the rise as the Waihou River sat at 11.1m in Te Aroha on Wednesday, compared to 7.5m the same time last week. The rivers are likely to continue rising as the water makes its way down from the hills.
