Gisborne history: Residents remember the Lytton Rd ‘dip’ more than 50 years on

A car trapped in the Lytton Road dip during flooding in 1971. The dip was filled in two years later. Photo / Gisborne Photo News

Driving along the school end of Lytton Rd with their parents was no mundane journey for Gisborne youngsters before the 70s, now in retirement or close to it.

The journey was a highlight for many, as they knew their vehicle would descend into the “dip” where Lytton Rd fell away to a depth deep enough to trap vehicles during flooding.

It was 52 years ago when work began to level out the dip, situated where Lytton Rd crossed Mātokitoki Stream between Riperata St, where Potae Ave is now located.

In October 1973, work began to install a larger culvert, remove the dip and level out that section of Lytton Rd.

Former mayor Meng Foon has fond childhood memories of the dip.

“I was always full of water when it rained,” he said.

“Even light rain would fill it up with water – it was neat watching our truck go through the dip when it was full of water, and the water was splashing on the side. It was great fun, we thought.”

The Lytton Rd "dip".

Chris Reynolds, aged 14 in 1973, said he regretted the filling in of the dip “but they had to do it because of the flooding”.

Reynolds, who lived in the area, said pedestrians crossed the dip by using a “swing bridge”.

He and his friends would lay a nylon rope with two cans attached across the dip and lie in wait for unsuspecting motorists.

“We would hide in the bush and laugh.”

Mark Peters told the Gisborne Herald he was 7 or 8 around 1965, when his family moved to Gisborne and lived in Lytton Rd.

“Our old Austin 7, with spoked wheels and crank handle, always struggled to get to the other side.”

Another reader told the Gisborne Herald he would often ask his mother to change her route so as to drive through the dip.

It was always something to look forward to, he said.

Work underway to level out the "dip" in Lytton Rd in October 1973. Photo / Gisborne Photo News

Long-serving Gisborne Herald chief reporter John Jones said the newspaper ran numerous articles about the dip.

There were “endless“ letters to the editor when the dip flooded, said Jones.

He said it was similar to the Ormond dip, which cut off the township during the flooding of 1948.

The Ormond dip was levelled in 1961.

The Gisborne Herald of October 16, 1973, reported that work on the dip was causing another problem in that the previously quiet Riperata St had become a “main road”.

Gisborne Road Safety Committee member CW Campbell was quoted as saying drivers in Riperata St were driving up on the footpath while passing each other because of the narrowness of that part of the road.

It was only a matter of time before pedestrians or cyclists, possibly from Lytton High School, were injured, he said.

The Gisborne Herald at the time reported the narrowing of the road was caused by a section of private land which jutted out and cut down the road to one lane.