‘Whole road was just a river’
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Four houses were seriously damaged and families forced to evacuate as strong rain and winds battered the lower North Island, East Cape and Marlborough yesterday.
Homes in Tokomaru Bay were left knee-deep in silt, resident Gina ChaffeyAupouri said. Families had to evacuate from four homes, while five houses were cut off by flooding which also closed Hatea a Rangi School.
At one stage, Chaffey-Aupouri spotted a boat and a trailer that had ended up in a tree following heavy rain which began on Sunday.
Tokomaru Bay was one of the worst affected spots and up to 200mm of rain was recorded north of Ruatoria. The effect on the township was ‘‘devastating’’, she said.
‘‘The weather has settled but we don’t know if it’s going to stay that way. Some homes have silt in them which goes up to your knees, but it has brought the community together, everyone is helping. Some people got up at 6am and started cleaning up the beach.’’
Gisborne District mayor Rehette Stoltz said it was still raining yesterday morning but the worst of it had passed. There had been ‘‘extensive’’ damage to the community’s roads.
Homes in low-lying areas were evacuated on Sunday, and police were going door to door to ensure no-one was left behind.
Jan Whaitiri lives in a caravan that washed off her brother’s East Coast property after heavy rain flooded the remote Taira¯whiti settlement on the weekend.
‘‘Something just gave way big time and it was all here instantly, and that whole road was just a river,’’ Rick Whaitiri said of the moment he realised rushing water had surrounded his home.
He also saw a shipping container lodged in a tree about 500m away from its original position.
Meanwhile, a number of roads in the lower North Island, including the main route into Martinborough over the Waihenga Bridge, was closed by flood waters.
Kaiwhata Rd, east of Carterton, was also blocked while Haurangi No 2 Rd in South Wairarapa District was closed due to a slip and Tinui Valley Rd east of Masterton was closed due to a washout. Contractors planned to have the roads open today.
Wellington was also battered by strong winds. Gusts at Mt Kaukau reached 130kmh and Bluebridge cancelled two of its passenger ferry sailings
yesterday afternoon in response to the wild weather.
Hutt Valley High School’s playing fields were also flooded.
‘‘The flooding happens when we get lots of rain and a really high tide – it happens every five years or so,’’ principal Denise Johnson said.
Parks and roads in Marlborough were also closed due to heavy rain.
Metservice forecaster Gerard Bellam said the deep low would gradually ease today, and would move around to the east of the North Island.