Editorial: Do erosion issues mean Manawatu Gorge is a pass of the past?

Slips in the Manawatu Gorge - like this one in 2012 - are commonplace. Photo/Supplied

Opinion

The verdant Manawatu Gorge is a striking stretch of state highway.

It's a treacherous beauty, whereby drivers give in to the scenic temptation to gaze at a waterfall or two, fierce green rapids or turgid bush akin to hundreds of giant broccoli heads thrust from a vertical garden.

Anyone lucky enough (like me) to have rafted the river below will know the view from the fast-flowing Manawatu is outstanding.

Records show the road was completed in 1872, with the rail track added to the opposite side of the gorge 19 years later.

The gorge, or Te Apiti, translated means "The Narrow Passage". Which, of course, is at the heart of the problem. Its alpine contours shoulder a thin track prone to erosion.

It doesn't take much rain to be cut off from the pass.

As nearby Woodville residents and businesses are lamenting, its frequent closures come with a hefty price tag.

It's also the main east-west trunk through which much of the freight for Napier Port passes.

The only winners in closures are geotechnical engineers and roading contractors.

As Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said last week, the lengthy current blockage is a tragedy. "The implications for our businesses in Woodville and motorists is devastating."

While it's predicted to be cleared this week, the question is whether the funds used to fix the frequent rock falls (paired with the financial losses to local businesses) would be better spent on refurbishing one of the bypasses as a permanent solution.

This would be a great scenic and cultural loss to travellers. But maybe the day has arrived where the gorge is passable only by rail and raft.