Slips, rock falls close access
The main accessway to the Kahurangi National Park will be closed for at least the next week after a massive slip covered the road last week.
The Graham Valley Rd South Branch remains closed because of the large slip on a steep section of the road.
Department of Conservation assets and historic programme manager Mark Townsend said the slip was massive, with engineers estimating that it contained between 15,000 and 20,000 cubic metres of rock, predominantly marble.
The area around the slip had remained active and there had been at least two more slips in the last week. It was likely there would be more this week with heavy rain forecast.
‘‘There’s lots of rocks coming and going off it so we’re not wanting people to venture up the road at all.’’
The track was the main access point to the Kahurangi National Park, and was particularly busy at this time of the year with families driving up to play in the snow, walk up to Mt Arthur, or head down to the Flora Hut to have a picnic, he said.
‘‘That road can have 100 cars parked at the top end of it during the winter, especially when you get a day like today and there’s lots of snow.’’
There was an alternative access to the tablelands through the Cobb Valley but that had also had heavy snow on it lately and required four-wheel-drive access.
The Wangapeka track could also be used as an accessway.
There were ‘‘road closed’’ signs at the bottom of the hill, but people had still driven up to have a look at it themselves, which was frustrating, he said.
‘‘We’ve even had people parking their cars right up to the base of the slip, which is crazy because not only do they risk their cars but when we do get around to doing work we don’t want cars there.’’
The Tasman District Council would project manage the removal of the material.
Council transport network engineer Selywn Steedman said he hoped work would begin on the slip next week once a contractor had been selected. He expected the work to cost in excess of $100,000, and be paid for in a 50/50 partnership between the council and DOC.
There were four property owners above the slip who had to walk over it to access their properties, he said.