Campers braved the weather at the Turihaua Beach Campground in Gisborne. Photo / Annaleise Shortland
Campers braved the weather at the Turihaua Beach Campground in Gisborne. Photo / Annaleise Shortland
Some of the worst-hit areas in Tairāwhiti Gisborne after severe weather last month have come through “fairly unscathed” in the most recent bout of rain and gusts over the weekend.
A weather system bringing heavy rain warnings with it has moved further south after a drenched weekend for the GisborneDistrict.
MetService rain warnings and swell warnings were followed by a strong wind warning for the region overnight Sunday, for damaging gusts of 120-130km/h, before it was lifted on Monday.
According to MetService, Gisborne, Taupō, Waiōuru, Wellington, Whanganui and Kaikōura, as of Monday, had already exceeded the amount of rainfall they would typically expect to receive in February.
Te Araroa Civil Defence, in a statement, said the area has not been affected so heavily this weekend.
“Te Araroa managed to get off fairly unscathed with that weather system. We had minor surface flooding in areas which has now receded and small concerns on small local roads like Whakaangiangi,” Te Araroa Civil Defence said on Sunday.
“Other than that, we’re back into local clean-up mode and getting back underway with the transition to recovery. Key messages just for people to still be cautious around the roading network and landslides, make safe choices and continue to be prepared. Our thoughts are with the Ōtorohanga community as they go through this difficult time and to all facing the incoming weather.”
Meanwhile, Firstlight said that a power transformer had failed in Te Araroa during the weekend.
“A transformer failed in the Te Araroa township on Saturday at 11am. Our team installed a mobile generator and power was restored by 11pm. We then shutdown the generator at 2pm on Sunday to change out the transformer and power was restored by 4pm,” George Drysdale, manager for Firstlight Network, said.
Closer to Gisborne, campers at Turihaua Beach were making the most of the outdoors despite the conditions.
Tolaga Bay during heavy rain over the weekend. Photo / Annaleise Shortland
Road conditions
State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Gisborne reopened at 7.30am on Monday after it was closed on Sunday as a precautionary measure ahead of strong winds and heavy rainfall overnight.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said trees had come down overnight along the road, and crews had worked to clear them.
“As heavy rain and strong winds continue to batter the East Coast, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is closely monitoring all local state highways,” NZTA said in an update on Monday morning.
As at 5.45am Monday, SH35 Pōtaka to Taurangakoau Bridge, south of Te Araroa, remained closed.
The stretch of State Highway 35 from Pōtaka at Lottin Point Rd south to the Taurangakoau Bridge over Mangaowira Stream just south of Te Araroa was closed just before the weekend as a precaution.
SH35, Ōpōtiki to Pōtaka, was open.
Convoys through Waioweka Gorge, cancelled before the weekend due to heavy rain, were due to restart on Monday evening and continue from Tuesday after crews cleared rockfall.
The Gisborne-bound start point at Goldsmith Reserve departs at 7am, 11am and 5pm, while the Ōpōtiki-bound start point at Matawai (Te Wera Road intersection) departs at 9am, 1pm and 7pm.
