Gorge closure’s silver lining
The Manawatu Gorge’s indefinite closure has hit some small centres hard, but there is a silver lining for one town, set to benefit from increased traffic.
Pahiatua, on the eastern side of the Tararua Range in northern Wairarapa, has seen an extra 1500 motorists a day flow through its normally quiet streets as they head over the Pahiatua Track.
That and the Saddle Rd have become increasingly busy since the closure of State Highway 3 through the gorge due to slips in late April.
Last week’s announcement that the gorge could be closed indefinitely because of the risk of more slips means Pahiatua businesses will likely be given a long-term boost.
Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said an estimated 7500 vehicles used the gorge to travel from Manawatu to Hawke’s Bay each day.
Since the closure, about 20 per cent had moved to the Pahiatua Track.
The numbers come from traffic counts set up by the council and the NZ Transport Agency.
Collis said Pahiatua businesses were doing well from the increased traffic through the town, but were conscious of the hardships Woodville was facing since the gorge closed, robbing it of through traffic.
She knew of several businesses directing customers towards nearby Woodville when they left town.
‘‘How wonderful... together we will find a way forward.’’
Pahiatua petrol station owners were reporting more people pulling into their pumps after taking the track.
Black Stump Cafe owners Alison and Graeme Franklin have also seen many more unfamiliar faces stop in for a bite lately at the Main St.
But, she said, Pahiatua Track users tended to be commuters, or on a relatively short drive to other nearby towns, and rarely stopped.
Wellington motorists heading to Hawke’s Bay were also choosing to stick to the eastern side of the ranges and were passing through the town.
Graeme Franklin said the same spike in traffic happened when the gorge was closed for a year after the 2011 slips.
That closure turned out to be good for business as many of the customers kept coming back.
The Finest Batch Bakery, on Main St, hadn’t caught a noticeable influx of travellers.
Owner Craig Batchelor said the gains were balanced by the people put off travelling by the gorge closure. ‘‘The shop itself has been holding steady. I just feel for the businesses in Woodville.’’
He knew they were struggling because he supplied baked goods to two Woodville cafes and neither was ordering as much as they normally would.