Clarence Valley residents left in limbo
Residents in the Clarence Valley, north of Kaiko¯ ura, are feeling frustrated, isolated and ignored after going 15 months without a viable road in and out of the valley.
The Glen Alton bridge connecting half a dozen permanent residents in the valley to Clarence was destroyed by the magnitude7.8 earthquake in November 2016.
Now the only way in and out was to drive a four-wheel-drive vehicle through a stream, a resident said.
The plan to install a temporary bridge across the Clarence River was declined by Kaiko¯ ura District Council’s rebuild steering group in January and residents were expected to wait another seven months before a consultation about installing a permanent bridge would take place.
Clarence Valley resident Jacqui Hamilton said she felt ‘‘stranded’’ in her home some days as the alternative route, which involved opening and closing six gates and driving through a stream, was often unsuitable to drive across.
Hamilton, who lived on her own, said it was ‘‘daunting’’ having to drive through the Wharekiri Stream and was frustrated that a plan to install a bailey bridge across the Clarence River at the end of 2017 had since been abandoned.
Hamilton said things were back to ‘‘square one’’ and said everyone felt like they were living in limbo.
‘‘It’s a bit daunting that our only access could be as it is now, forever,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s very hard for anybody to do anything here at the moment. Obviously nobody can sell, property prices have been downgraded ... you can only get in in a 4WD high clearance vehicle if the weather is good,’’ she said.
Hamilton said she had become an ‘‘avid weather-watcher’’ as her movements in and out of the valley were determined by the conditions.
She didn’t leave her house for a week after ex-Cyclone Gita hit the South Island last month as the stream was too ‘‘daunting’’ to cross, she said.
Hamilton also stayed at home at night because of access and visibility issues.
‘‘I don’t come in and out at night ... You can’t pass with ease, it’s not a two-way road.
‘‘You can’t see what you’re driving into,’’ she said.
Clarence Valley resident Gavin Clark said he was frustrated the temporary bridge wasn’t going ahead and residents would have to wait another seven months to find out what the next step would be.
‘‘We’ve had a gutsful. We’ve got to open six gates every morning to get in and out ... The week before last I had three days off because I can’t get out,’’ he said.
Clark said he often struggled to get home some days because the stream was too high to cross and was concerned about winter approaching.
He was forced to take three days off work after ex-Cyclone Gita hit because the stream was too high to cross safely.
‘‘It’s just a nightmare ... I’m on my second set of wheel bearings on my truck,’’ he said.
Clark, who is also a diabetic, said he bought an emergency locator beacon in case something were to happen and he needed a rescue helicopter to pick him up.
Kaiko¯ura District Council rebuild director Will Doughty said the installation of the temporary bridge had been put off while long term options were explored.
‘‘The decision to install a temporary bailey bridge at Wharekiri Stream was deferred in January, until a better understanding of the longer term permanent options was available.
‘‘The decision was a joint one by all rebuild funding partners, based on updated design and cost estimates, as well as the consideration of ongoing uncertainty for the future changes to Wharekiri Stream.’’
The southern access route, which involved crossing the Wharekiri Stream, was installed after the earthquake as an alternative route, Doughty said.
Doughty admitted it would be ‘‘challenging for residents’’ and there was ‘‘no easy solution or quick fix’’.
He said an emergency management plan would be finalised by the end of March.
‘‘This is aimed at ensuring we have appropriate and timely measures in place for closing the crossing in bad weather.
‘‘It will also identify local resources for both maintaining the access regularly and to assist with getting the crossing and the road opened as quickly as we can after any event.
‘‘We have continued and will continue to actively engage with residents to keep them advised of progress and timelines,’’ he said.