This map shows the major slip and debris flow sites in the storm-damaged Waioweka Gorge, as of Wednesday morning. Image / NZTA
Upgraded heavy rain warnings over the Gisborne district as a tropical storm hits the North Island have prompted warnings and disrupted work to clear previous slips on State Highway 2.
MetService expanded its red heavy rain warning over Gisborne from Tolaga Bay northwards to a period of 26 hours from 9am Wednesday to 11am Thursday.
“Expect a further 250 to 350 mm of rain on top of what has already accumulated. Peak rates of 25 to 40 mm/h in downpours from late this evening,” MetService said.
Residents were advised there was a threat to life from dangerous river conditions, and they should act quickly to self-evacuate if they saw rising water.
MetService also said people should be ready for power and communications outages.
The rest of the region, which had no warning on Tuesday, had an orange heavy rain warning for 24 hours from 10am Wednesday to 10am Thursday.
“Expect 100 to 150 mm of rain. Peak rates of 10 to 20 mm/h expected. Low chance of upgrading to a red warning.”
Tairāwhiti Emergency Management (Temo) group manager Ben Green said people living in at-risk areas needed to make decision as soon as possible.
“If you live around rivers or areas prone to flooding, you need to be making decisions today,” he said in a video posted to the Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Facebook page.
Northland, the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty were also under red heavy rain warnings.
NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), in a statement mid-morning Wednesday, said heavy rain had destabilised large slips, making it unsafe for contractors to continue clearing work through SH2 Waioweka Gorge.
In an earlier update, NZTA reported road workers had “progressed well” in their mammoth task to get the section of highway through the gorge reopened as soon as possible.
Crews had been working from both ends of the SH2 Waioweka Gorge.
“With weather set to worsen over the day Wednesday crews took a pause to rest and allow the weather to pass before reassessing the situation,” the NZTA said in a statement.
“They will resume clearing work once it is safe to do so.
“State Highway 35 (SH35) remains open. However, it is not a reliable detour route while the weather is severe.
“SH2 south of Gisborne and SH5 remain open if people must travel. Additional crews are on standby to respond to any incidents on the detour routes.”
NZTA urged drivers to allow extra time for their journeys and drive to the conditions.
“People can stay informed by checking live state highway conditions on the NZTA Journey Planner before travelling.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this significant disruption.
In an earlier update, NZTA gorge response and recovery coordinator Rob Service said damage to the road was extensive, and the full condition of the road and underlying structures remained uncertain until debris could be safely cleared.
“Our contractors are progressing well and continuing to push forward on what is a very large and complex task,” Service said. “Our focus remains on restoring at least one lane of access. We do not yet know what this will look like or when it will be possible, but we will share updates as soon as we can.”
On Monday, NZTA indicated it would take “weeks” to reopen the road.
An NZTA spokesman told One News on Tuesday it could take “months”.
As of Tuesday afternoon, crews had fully cleared two slips on the Gisborne side of the gorge.
On the Ōpōtiki side, crew were on track to remove 60 large truckloads of material from what is called the Goldsmith slip, the first from the Ōpōtiki side and potentially the largest at 110m high and up to 60m wide, according to NZTA.
Eight trucks and three diggers were working at that site.
NZTA said there was a significant increase in traffic on SH2 south of Gisborne and large numbers of vehicles through to Bayview.
Gisborne District Council closed several local roads to heavy vehicles from 5pm Wednesday to 11am Friday as a precaution. The roads were:
Council contractors were running pre-checks for the city wastewater system and preparing back-up systems.
Several waka were moved to safety on Wednesday morning at Marina Park in Gisborne due to expected high river levels.
Horouta Waka Hoe chairman Walton Walker told the Gisborne Herald this was being done after they heard from Civil Defence.
“We don’t want to risk the high tide.”
It was the third time in about two months they had had to move waka.
“The only positive is it’s not going into the nationals,” he said.
The waka ama sprint nationals, involving a large number of Tairāwhiti paddlers, were held on Lake Karapiro last week.
MORE TO COME