Resident's land and dinghys disappear in Omokoroa slip

A large bank has disappeared on Omokoroa's Bramley Drive, alarming residents, in the wake of yesterday's torrential downpour.

The slip happened in front of Liz McKeown's house, and though her house was not teetering on the edge, it was still very disturbing.

A bush track winding its way down to the beach from Bramley Drive and Ms McKeown's two beached dinghies were now gone as trees and soil collapsed.

It was not the first time a major slip happened on Bramley Drive - in 2011 more than a hectare of land crashed down 100m.

"Council said the land was stable now, but it's never stable in rain like today's," Ms McKeown told the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday.

"The bank in front of my house has gone this afternoon, right down to the beach, burying two of my dinghys and the sea is now all brown."

They would no longer be able to use the stairs down the track to the beach where they swam and walked the dogs.

Ms McKeown said she and her husband had been planting along the foreshore to help Western Bay of Plenty District Council's efforts.

"But something more serious needs to be done if we are going to salvage the rest of the homes along this bank of Omokoroa Peninsula."

Ms McKeown said the slip needed to be investigated immediately - "at the very least we need answers whether we have to be evacuated."

Council spokeswoman Corrie Taylor said they sent council experts to Bramley Drive to speak with residents and assess the situation.

"It appears to be about five households wide, 70m or so, but at this stage, we can't confirm the extent of the slip."

She said there was a lot of vegetation and houses were not in immediate danger.